Will It All Come Crashing Down?
by XxDoncellaxX
Summary: Okay, I'm changing this a bit. It's either going to be OCxChase or OCxGill. Not Sure Yet. Changed Rating to T to be safe. Basically, a new rancher comes to Waffle Island, and things happen. Yeah, that's all. I don't know what else to put.
1. Moving to Wafffle Island

_This is my first story here on fanfic, and I will try my best to keep it up. It's Harvest Moon based. To be exact, it's based off of Harvest Moon:Tree of Tranquility. I'm not using Angela/Akari, though, I'm using my own original character in place of her. I've changed some things, but it's basically sure. I'm not sure which of the characters she is going to end up falling for, probably Chase, or maybe Gill. I don't know. Just read this and find out. _

**Notes and Disclaimer: **_This might be slightly crappy. It's my first fanfic, and I haven't got my ideas together yet. Review and critique me please. I would love that. I do NOT own any of the Harvest Moon plots, characters, themes or anything yet. I do have the game, Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for my Nintendo Wii._

.:::Chapter One; Moving to Waffle Island:::.

Moving to a new place. That was just terrific. Rhian rolled her eyes at the thought of moving away from home. And to a farm? Her mom really had gone off her rocker with this one... Why was Rhian moving to a farm, when she didn't even know a thing about farming? Because the farm that she was about to take over was once owned by her father, before she was even born. Her father died a week after she was born, so she didn't even know him. She didn't see why she was going to have to drop out of high school her Senior year, and then move to some stupid little island with stupid people. Well, the people might not be stupid. She hadn't really met them yet. They probably weren't going to like her though.

Thinking about this, Rhian looked down at herself. She was dressed in a light pink tanktop, and jeans, along with white sneakers. Her skin was a fair color, and she had hardly any muscle. She wasn't sure how she was going to manage to lift any of the tools, or move any of the animals. She frowned, and her big, long lashed, sapphire colored eyes glanced down at the ocean that was passing by. It was probably around noon, and the sun was high in the sky, causing the ocean to sparkle. It was pretty. Rhian was taking note of her surroundings, and she saw an island in the distance. That was probably where she was going to be living. She rolled her eyes, and ran a hand through her short blonde hair, which had icy blue tips that curled around her chin.

"Are you okay?" Rhian heard the voice of the ship's captain, whose name she did not know, talking to her. She turned and smiled.

"I'm fine, thank you," she said, and then rubbed the back of her head. "I don't think I'm going to do good on the island," she mumbled, leaning against the boat's rail, and staring out into the ocean.

"That's not a positive view. I'm sure you'll do fine. It'll just take time to adjust," the captain smiled at her. "I'm Pascal. What's your name?" He added, before taking a draw off of his pipe.

"Oh, I'm Rhian," Rhian answered. She was being nice. She really didn't want to talk to anyone, but she had to be friendly.

"What kind of foods do you like to eat?" Pascal asked.

_What kind of question is that???_ Rhian thought, and she frowned slightly. "I... I guess I like fruits and vegitables the best. Why does it matter?" She asked.

"Well, you'll find plenty of fruits and vegitables of the best variety and quality on the island," Pascal smiled.

They were close to the island now, and it was about time to dock. Rhian was so nervous now. She was about to see her new house. No, her new farm. First she would probably have to meet some people, and then she would see her new house, and have to change into some decent farm clothes, that were more durable.

The boat docked, and Pascal got off. Rhian hesitated, but then followed him.

It was Spring, and on the island, it was noticeable. Rhian could see flowers lining the streets, and the air smelled really fresh. Rhian inhaled deeply, and then smiled.

Pascal turned to her. "I'm going to introduce you to the people at the fishing company, and then I'm going to let the mayor do the rest," he explained. Rhian only nodded and followed him into the building that was next to the dock.

There were three people in the building. A guy that looked around her age, a little kid, and an middle aged looking man. They all smiled when she walked in, and she felt herself blush a bit.

"You new around here? What do you think about fishing? I'm Ozzie by the way," The middle aged man smiled.

"It's fine...." Rhian blinked, and then added. "I'm Rhian."

"My name's Toby. There's nothing better than fishing and naps," The guy her age smiled.

Rhian smiled.

"I'm Pao, and it's nice to meetcha. Toby is my cousin, and Ozzie is my father," the little kid grinned.

"We've stocked the tool box in your house with a fishing rod, and I've put a book with a lot of nice tips about fish and things in your bookshelf," Ozzie said.

"Thank you..." Rhian felt so out of place with a bunch of fishing guys. She wasn't really that into fishing or anything of that nature, and in her opinion, the whole room stunk. She was going to be nice though, because the people seemed really friendly.

"Okay, let's go," Pascal said.

Rhian nodded and waved to the people, who waved back.

Pascal led her to an intersection in the street, in front of what appeared to be an inn. There was a jolly looking old man in a blue coat standing there. "I'm Mayor Hamilton, and you must be Rhian!!!" The man said, and shook her hand.

"Hi," Rhian had no idea what else to say.

"Well, we haven't quite got your place ready, so you might want to go check out the Sundae Inn, and meet all of it's workers," Hamilton said.

"I have to stay at an inn tonight?" Rhian asked. She smiled as Pascal walked off, back to the fishing company.

"I'm sorry. The people there are friendly," Hamilton frowned.

"Okay. I shouldn't complain. At least I have somewhere to stay," She sighed, and walked into the Inn.

There were four people in the Inn, which was also a cafe by the looks of it. Two of the people were most likely a couple, who were young, but not really young. There was an old lady, and then, in the kitchen, there was a boy who was around her age. He was cute, too, but didn't even spare her a glance when she walked in.

"Hello. You must be the one taking over Jensen's farm?" The old lady smiled.

Rhian looked confused. Was Jensen her dad's name? "Uhm... Yeah... I guess," she blushed.

"Yes, I do believe you are. I forgot that you never met your dad. He was a wonderful man. I'm Yolanda, by the way," the old lady said.

"I'm Colleen, and this is my husband, Jake," The woman smiled, and bowed her head.

The older man, Jake smiled brightly. "Pleased to meet you. You're father was wonderful, though I didn't know him very well," Jake sighed.

Rhian glanced at the guy in the kitchen, whose eyes met her soon after. "My name is Chase. Not that it really matters," he mumbled.

"Erm, I'm Rhian... It's a pleasure to meet you," Rhian had the urge to stare at Chase, but he seemed hostile, so instead, she stared at her feet. "I was told by Mayor Hamilton that I will be staying here tonight?" she asked, still not looking up.

"Oh, of course," Colleen smiled. "You're welcomed here anytime that you want," Colleen smiled. "You should meet our daughter, Maya, by the way. She should be around town hall," Colleen added.

"I will do that. I think I need to get going, as I still need to meet some people," Rhian smiled, and then walked out, after saying goodbye.

Next, Hamilton told her to go to town square, and that's where she met Maya, who was sitting on a bench. "Oh, Hi!! You must be the new girl?" Maya hopped up, and smiled.

"Uhm, yeah. Rhian's the name," Rhian smiled.

"Okay, I'm Maya. I love to cook, though I'm not very good at it," She frowned for a moment but then smiled again.

"We should cook together sometime, or something," Rhian felt comfortable around the girl. She liked to cook as well, though she would rather it be with Chase, than Maya. She would be fine though.

"That's sounds fun! I need to get back to the inn so I will see you around," and with that, Maya waved and ran off.

Rhian turned, and then walked into the town hall, where she saw two people, a male and a female that were around her age. "Hello?" she tilted her head.

"Oh, hello," the female bowed, and then smiled. "I'm Elli, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hmph.... You actually moved to this place? The island isn't in the best condition ever, you know," The boy mumbled. "Also, I'm Gill, and I'm the mayor's son," he added, folding his arms across his chest.

"Okay, it's nice to meet both of you," Rhian was astonished at how many rude people there were on this island. She wanted to say something, but she didn't wanted to make a bad impression. "I think I need to go introduce myself to more of the islanders, so I'm going to leave," Rhian mumbled, and turned to leave.

"Okay, bye," Elli said.

"Work hard, and don't you dare start complaining when you get tired, then you'll get by just fine," Gill said, in a slightly bitter tone.

Rhian rolled her eyes. He was such a jerk.

Next, Rhian was directed to the general store, where she encountered three people, a couple and their daughter, obviously. The parents seemed to be arguing, but it stopped as soon as Rhian walked in.

"Oh, you must be the new girl. I'm Barbara, and this is my husband, Simon, and my daughter, Phoebe," the older girl smiled.

"I'm Rhian, and yep, I'm new," she smiled. This family seemed slightly awkward.

"Stop by here if you need to shop. You might have to buy a few things for the farm," Simon said.

Phoebe didn't talk. She just smiled.

Rhian got through talking and then left, next to the clinic, where she met an old lady, a doctor that was only a bit older than her, and a younger boy.

They introduced themselves as Irene, Jin, and Perry, and Jin told her that if she ever felt sick, to come by, and he told her to watch how much work she did, and not to run herself down.

Next, she was off to the Taylor shop, where she met an old woman, and two sisters, who were probably also around her age. They were introduced as Candace and Luna, and the old lady was introduced as Shelly. Luna seemed to be snooty, and made a rude comment on her clothing, which almost made Rhian said something, and Candace didn't really talk. Shelly was a sweet old lady, who informed her about buying clothes, and how all the clothes were handmade.

And that was it. It was late now, and the sun was setting, and Rhian had met all of the people in the town. She would have to go meet some more people, tomorrow, and see her farm.

"Who all do I have to meet now?" she asked Mayor Hamilton, once she returned to the inn.

You need to meet the people of Souffle Farm, and Brownie Ranch, as well as Ramsey's blacksmith, and Dale's carpentry. And there are two more people in the inn now that you haven't met," Hamilton explained.

Rhian sighed. She hated meeting people. "Okay, that's fine. I'll do that tomorrow," she said, before entering the inn. There was a blonde headed girl now, and a rough looking man. The man was behind the bar part of the counter, and the girl was sitting at a table. She hopped up when she saw Rhian though.

"I'm Cathy, and it's a pleasure to meet you!" the girl was sweet and energetic, and seemed friendly.

"I'm Hayden, and I'm her father," the man said.

"I'm Rhian," Rhian introduced herself. Her eyes went to Chase, who was still in the kitchen. He didn't even notice her though. She frowned, before saying. "I'm tired, so I'm going to go to sleep." She blushed, before heading up the stairs to her room. She took her shoes off, and then laid across the bed. The day had been pretty good. It hadn't gone exactly as planned. She wanted know more about Chase, and she was pretty sure that it wouldn't happen. He didn't even spare her a glance. It hurt her to think about, but she would make it. She was tired at the time, and needed sleep. In a few minutes, she was asleep.


	2. More Introductions and Cherub Ranch

**Notes and Disclaimers: **_Same thing as before, basically. I do not own any of Harvest Moon's ideas, plots, or themes, I just own the game for my Wii. This is based off of Harvest Moon:Tree of Tranquility, and if you skipped the first chapter, you really need to go back and read it, because it has some information about the character there. I still want people to review and comment on this, please... I need crique... My writing skill is out of practice, I think. Oh, and by the way, please don't tell me that it has a crappy title, because I suck at making titles for things, and they always turn out to be crappy... :) Oh, and this might start out is Rhian X Gill, and then change. Not sure..._

.:::Chapter 2: More Introductions and Cherub Ranch:::.

Morning... It was morning. Rhian had actually made it through a whole day on Waffle Island, and she felt fine. The sun was shining into the hotel room window, and she wondered what time it was. There was only one way to find out. She sat up, and then stood up, and stretched. She would take a shower, and get into better clothes before she left the room though, just in case Chase was there. She didn't want him to see her in her messy, bed head state. She glanced down at her suitcases, which had been brought into the hotel room by Pascal when they first arrived, and then crouched and pulled out an outfit. She then left her hotel room, and walked down the hall to the washroom.

She cleaned up, and sprayed some body spray on, before she slipped into her clothes, which consisted of a light blue shirt, cut of denim shorts, that went down to her knees, brown boots, a dark blue neck bandanna, and brown leather gloves. This was the kind of material she would wear on days when the farm need work. They were made out of a tougher material, but yet they were pretty cool, so she wouldn't get too overheated when she was working. She glanced at herself in the mirror, before running her comb through her hair, and then leaving the washroom. She walked downstairs, to see that Chase was currently not there. It was just Colleen, Jake, and Maya. "Uhm, hi," she smiled at the family.

"Hey, Rhian, did you sleep well?" Colleen smiled at her, "You're up pretty early as well, dear," she added.

Rhian glanced at the clock, and then frowned. It was only six thirty, which meant that she'd probably woke up before six am.

"Are you hungry?" Colleen asked.

Rhian sunk down at the table, and then shook her head. "No, not hungry at all," she said. She was never hungry when she first woke up, and she was still skeptical about trying the food on the island. Yeah, she knew there was nothing wrong with it, and Chase's cooking last night had smelled wonderful. She just really disliked trying new foods. She would have to eventually though. She hadn't ate since she was on the boat.

"Oh, c'mon. Ya know you have to eat," Maya smiled at her, and then sat down in front of her. "I could cook something for you," she suggested.

"No, thank you. I don't eat when I first wake up," Rhian mumbled.

"Okay, just say something when you're hungry," Maya smiled.

"I think I might be leaving soon, to go meet the rest of the islanders, so I will probably eat when I get back... Or, if my farm is ready, then I might just cook something there," Rhian said. She rested her chin on her hand, thinking.

"If you can really cook, you should try to get in a cook off with Chase. He's always so stuck up, and arrogant about his skills. Someone needs to put him in his place!" Maya poked out her bottom lip. "I can't though. He's way better than me," she sighed.

Rhian tilted her head. That would be the perfect opportunity to get to talk to Chase. And proving that she was a good cook would probably impress him. Or make him angry. Hopefully the first thing would happen. "How would I go about doing this?" she asked.

"Just cook something really good, and make him try it. He'll act like it's not good, but if he really likes it, he'll cook something similar, and make you try it. And then you just go from there, and you two will probably be in the kitchen all night cooking, and making random people compare the two. I bet you could so beat him at his own game," Maya smirked.

"I will try that one day. After I get settled in," Rhian smirked back. That would be awesome. She was so glad that Maya had brought it up, she even felt like hugging the girl. She would impress Chase, and then get to know him, and then, maybe they would start dating. It probably wasn't going to be as easy as it sounded though, and Rhian knew this. She was willing to work to get to know the boy in the kitchen though.

Rhian's train of thought was broken, and she sat up in her chair straight when the door opened. It was the jerk from the town hall, Gill, that came in. He glanced at Colleen and Jake, but his eyes went straight to her. She felt nervous. "What's up?" she asked.

"My dad needs to see you... It's time for more introductions..." Gill mumbled, in a flat tone.

Rhian nodded. "Okay, then. I guess I will see you all around," she stood up, and waved to the people of Sundae Inn.

"Okay, see you!" Maya and Colleen spoke in unison. Jake bowed his head.

Rhian smiled, and then followed Gill out of the Inn. She glanced around, but didn't see Mayor Hamilton anywhere. "Where do I go?" she asked.

"I was getting to that. Follow me," Gill said, not even glancing at her.

"Why are the guys in this town so hostile?" Rhian hadn't meant to think out loud, but she bit her lip when she realized that she had mumbled her thoughts. Gill was going to kill her now. She flinched and waited for the boy to start yelling.

He didn't though. He just stopped and turned to face her, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not hostile. I just don't think you're going to be able to make in this town," he said.

"Well, don't ya think you should leave that up to me to decide? And I have you know, I think I'll make it just fine on this island," Rhian glared. God, she hated this boy so bad.

Gill sighed. "You don't even like it here. I can see how you feel out of place. You won't last a whole season. You'll get lonely from not being around people at all times, or you'll get tired from having to work every day... The farm you're taking over isn't in the best condition, and it will require a lot of work to get it in shape," he said.

"So? I can work. And I won't get lonely, I'll have animals. And if I get tired, I'll go in my house, and sit down for a few minutes," Rhian said. Her eyes were narrowed, and she was determined not to let Gill win this little arguement.

"Okay then. What if all the crops aren't watered, and you fall asleep? Or what if all the animals don't have food or water? Then you'll be messed up. And I'm sure you're aware that animals can't talk to you," Gill said.

Rhian heaved an agitated sigh, and balled her fists up. She had the urge to hit the arrogant boy, but she wasn't going to. "Okay. Fine, for the freakin' sake of arguement, you win. I might not make it, but I'm going to try to prove you wrong. Just please, take me to your dad, and let me get this over with. I don't have all day for your arrogance," she said.

Gill smirked. "Okay, fine," he said. He had a hint of triumph in his voice.

Rhian sighed again, and began to walk. She was going to make it a point to avoid this guy. When she went into the town hall, she would always talk to Elli, not Gill.

Rhian smiled when she saw Mayor Hamilton standing in front of what looked to be a vegitable farm .There was a sign that read, "Souffle Farm."

Gill smirked at her, before turning and walking off. Rhian rolled her eyes. She would not let that boy get to her.

"Hello, Rhian," Hamilton walked up to her, and then turned back to Souffle Farm. "This is Souffle Farm as you can tell. This is where you will buy seeds and fertilizers for your crops. They also sell some vegitables and fruits," he said. "The people here are very friendly, so go on in and introduce yourself," he added.

Rhian nodded, and then smiled. She had to be in a good mood to meet the people of Souffle Farm, so she just completely erased the thought of Gill's arguement from her mind. She wouldn't let him get to her, no matter what. She stepped up onto the porch and then opened the door, to be greeted by a family of four.

"Hello, you must be Rhian, right?" the older woman, most likely the mom said, smiling at her.

Rhian bowed her head, and then smiled. "Yes, I am..." she said. She was making an effort to be sweet, and friendly, when her mood for the day was ruined.

"I'm Ruth, and this is my husband, Craig, and my daughter, Anise, and my son, Taylor," the woman said.

The younger girl smiled and bowed her head. "It's nice to meet you, Rhian," she said.

Craig seemed to frown, and then snorted. "Hey, scrawny," he mumbled.

Rhian glanced down at herself. He just called her scrawny. That wasn't good for her already sour mood. She wasn't going to say anything though, because the man was older than her, and it would look really disrespectful.

"Hi, Rhian. I run a shop called Taylor's seeds, and if you ever need seeds, just give me a call, and I can come to your house!" The little boy grinned up at her.

Rhian smiled. Another cute little kid, like Pao. "Okay, well, I need to get going, I guess," she said, scratching the back of her neck.

"Oh, of course," Ruth nodded. "If you need seeds, or fertilizer, this is where you purchase them," Ruth smiled.

Rhian left, and then walked over to Hamilton. "Where do I need to go next?" he asked.

Hamilton pointed down a path to the left of Souffle Farm. "In the meadow beyond that path is Brownie Ranch. It would be a wonderful idea to go meet them. Brownie Ranch is where you will get all of your animal products from," Hamilton explained.

Rhian nodded, and then followed the path. She was beyond ready to see her farm, and she knew that she only had three more buildings to enter, and meet the people from. She couldn't wait. She would go home, and cook, and then try to clean up the ranch a bit.

She saw the building, and the pasture behind it, and her eyes began to sparkle. There were a lot of animals. Cows, horses, sheeps, goats, chickens, ducks, and ostritches mostly. They were all healthy, and happy looking, and she had the urge to go pet them, but she knew that it wasn't the best idea to do that, since she didn't really know the people of Brownie Ranch. She glanced around and was about to walk up the stairs when she heard a voice behind her.

"Are you the new farm girl?" it was a girl's voice.

Rhian turned around and then smiled at a girl that had short brown hair and a bright smile on her face. "Yeah, I am... I guess gossip spreads fast?" she tilted her head.

"I'm Renee. And not many people move here, but when we know that someone's coming, everyone finds out, and everyone gets really excited," Renee stopped in front of Rhian and bowed her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh... I understand that. Where I come from, the place is so big, that you rarely hear about someone moving in," Rhian explained.

"That would be kind of confusing, right?" Renee asked.

"Nah, you get used to it, when you're raised there. I think it's weird that everyone knew that I was coming, to be honest," Rhian laughed nervously.

"I guess it all depends on the place you were raised. I was raised here, so it's normal for me," Renee said. "Oh, and you need to meet my parents, and Grey," Renee's eyes widened. "Come back here with me first, and meet Grey, and the animals," Renee said.

"Okay," Rhian followed Renee back to the pasture, behind the house, where a boy with a cap was brushing the mane of a horse.

"Grey, this is Rhian, she's the one that's taking over Cherub Ranch," Renee said.

The boy looked up, and then nodded. He didn't seemed the least bit enthused that there was a new person moving in. He seemed indifferent. "Hey, I'm Grey," he mumbled.

Rhian had to force herself not to roll her eyes. She had met one younger guy so far who wasn't a complete jerk. Well, two, if she counted the doctor, but he seemed really serious, and uptight, which wasn't much different than a jerk in her opinion. She frowned at the thought, and then sighed. "Nice to meet you, Grey," she mumbled.

Renee frowned. "Sorry, Grey doesn't warm up to people very fast," she said.

_Do any of the guys here warm up to people fast? _Rhian thought, but she didn't say that. Instead she shook her head. "No need to apologize. It's fine," she said.

Renee smiled, relieved. "Okay, well, I introduce you to my parents now," she said, heading back around to the front of the building. Rhian followed.

They entered the house, and were greeted by friendly seeming lady. "Hey, Renee. Is this the new farmer?" she looked at Rhian, smiling.

"Yes, it is. Her name is Rhian," Renee said.

"Okay, I'm Hanna, Renee's mom," the woman said.

A man entered the front room from a door and stood at Hanna's side. "Ah, you're the new farmer. I'm Cain," he smiled brightly. "This is where you need to come for any of your animals needs, but we're closed on Monday, as you can tell by the sign outside," Cain said.

Rhian nodded. "It was a pleasure to meet all of you. I really need to get going, because I still have people to meet, so I will see you guys later," Rhian smiled, and then left.

Next, she was led to the blacksmith's. There was a mine near the building, and before she could go into the building, a guy came out of the mines and smiled at her. "Hey, are you new around here? I haven't saw you before," he walked over to her. Up close, Rhian could see that the guy wasn't much older than her. He was smiling, and his eyes were sparkling.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Rhian. I'm taking over my dad's farm," she said.

"Oh, I think I've heard about you before. I'm Calvin. I explore, but I've been here awhile now, and I like it here. The mines are really interesting," the guy said.

_Finally, someone who was friendly. _"Oh, I'll have to check out the mines one day, then," Rhian smiled.

Calvin nodded. "Okay, I'll see you around. Hope you do a good job adjusting to the ranch life," Calvin waved, and then left.

Rhian turned, and then noticed a bigger guy not far away, working on some kind of stones. She walked over to him, and he heard her and turned around.

"Hm? Are you new?" he asked, smiling.

"Uh, yeah. My name's Rhian," she smiled. She couldn't tell if the guy was really that friendly. He seemed kind of serious.

The guy grinned. "Okay, then. My name is Owen," he said. "I work here at the Blacksmith," he then glanced down at her. "You don't have a lot of muscle. Before you can do much of anything with the hammer, you're gonna have to build up strength," he said.

Rhian blushed. Why was everone pointing out that she was skinny? It was embarrassing as hell, but she was pretty small compared to most of the girls on the island. "I'm sure I'll build up strength in no time," she said, before entering the Blacksmiths.

There were four people in the room. An old man, a little girl, a middle aged woman, and a guy who Rhian first thought was a girl.

"Oh, hello, you must be new or something, right?" the guy said, smiling at her. He had purple hair and dark eyes, that appeared to have makeup on them. Rhian wondered if the guy was even a straight guy. "I'm Julius, and I work here. Fashion is my field," he winked at her.

"I'm Ramsey, and I run this place. Come to me if you need a tool upgraded," the old man mumbled, not really even bothering to look at Rhian.

"Hi! I'm Chloe! Pleased to meetcha!" the little girl grinned up at Rhian.

"I'm Mira... I inspect ores that you find in the mines," the lady mumbled. She seemed to be sad, or troubled, or just really peaceful. Rhian couldn't tell.

Rhian smiled. "It's nice to meet you all, and I'm Rhian," she said. Everyone nodded.

Rhian then left and walked down the path to the Carpentry building, where there was a young guy, probably a teenager, working on something. "Er, hi?" Rhian tried to get his attention.

The boy jumped and then turned around. "You surpirsed me... Hi, I'm Bo. I'm an apprentice here," he smiled shyly. He looked really nervous and innocent. "The boss and his son are in the building...." he added.

Rhian nodded and then entered the building to see on older guy and a guy that was probably her age. They were both working on something as well.

"Is this a bad time to come in?" Rhian asked. She felt as if she was intruding or something.

The younger of the two turned around and then grinned. "No, of course it isn't! You're the new farm chick, right?" he asked. "I'm Luke. I work here, and if you ever need tips on how to use the axe, I'm the person to come to," he continued to grin at her.

Rhian smiled, and nodded. "I'm Rhian, and I'll remember that," she said.

"Hm, I'm Dale," the older man had turned around now, and had his arms folded across his chest. "You can come here when you need furniture or a house upgrade. You'll have to have some money, material stones, and lumber though," he said.

Rhian nodded. "That's fine.... Assuming I get material stones by bashing rocks, and lumber by chopping trees?" she asked.

Dale nodded. "Until you get used to it, it's going to wear you out," he said.

"I'll be fine," Rhian said, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

After that, she left and walked back to the mayor. She was done meeting everyone, and it wasn't all that late. Probably afternoon though, but the sun was still high in the sky. "Uhm, do I get to see my ranch now?" she asked.

"Of course you do!" Hamilton grinned, and then began to walk back from the way they came. "Follow me," he said.

Rhian followed and was led to a run down ranch. The house was the only thing that looked fairly new, and it was small. The barn was old, and big, and had a few pieces of the roof missing. The coop was rusting. The other two buildings, which Rhian had no idea what they were, were also old and run down. The field for the crops had a few small trees, and a bunch of weeds in it, and the pasture was overgrown.

"Sorry, you're going to have to fix it up. The house was completely falling to pieces so we just rebuilt it. Some of the old furniture, like the bed and stuff are in there. There's a toolbox that has some old tools, and the tools that the islanders put in there. The bookshelf has some useful books in it. The kitchen has some new utensils, and some given by the villagers. The fridge has a few items donated by the villagers as well. You're going to have to purchase more food items soon. Or grow them... There's a wardrobe and a mirror in the house as well, but they are empty, but you have your own clothes, so that shouldn't really matter," the mayor explained.

"Your going to have to fix up the crop fields, and plant some seeds. There are a few bags of seeds in the toolbox, but when you get some more money, you can buy more. There aren't any animals in the barn right now, but you can save up, and purchase a few from Brownie Ranch. To get fodder, you can cut down the grass in the pasture. You have no chickens or ducks either, but you can also purchase those from Brownie Ranch. You can also purchase bird feed there. The building close to your house is the shipping room. That's where you can store a few things, and you ship things out daily, and then your money will return the next day. There's also a notebook to record your earnings in. The room next to the barn is the processing room, but you're going to have to buy the machines from the general store, because your dad's machines were broken," Hamilton explained. "Do you have any questions?" Hamilton asked.

Rhian examined the land, and reviewed everything in her head. She couldn't think of any questions. She crossed her arms over her chest, and then sighed. "How do I know which crops to plant in which seasons? Is there a book or something on that?" She felt stupid for a question. She was moving to a farm, and didn't even know how to begin to plant crops.

"Oh, you can ask the people at Souffle about that, and I think there might be a book on your shelves about that, too," Hamilton answered, smiling.

"Okay, then I guess I'm done... Can I go in and cook something to eat? I haven't ate since yesterday when I was on the boat," Rhian frowned. Her stomach had been growling since she was at Souffle Farm, and she was ready to sit down and eat.

"Of course! I will see you some other time... If you have any questions, or if you need help, the islanders are very friendly and won't mind helping at all," Hamilton said.

Rhian almost snorted. Not all the islanders were nice. She still couldn't see how Gill was Hamilton's son. They were a lot different. Hamilton was a sweet old man, and Gill was just a jerk. Then again, Hamilton might've been that way when he was young, Rhian didn't know. She put her thoughts to the side, and then nodded. "I will do that. Thank you Mayor Hamilton," she bowed her head, and smiled.

"It's nothing. We're glad to have you on this island. I know you'll excell in the farming business," Mayor Hamilton smiled, and then his eyes widened. "I almost forgot. What do you want to name your new ranch?" he asked.

Rhian arched a brow. She had not thought of this yet. "Well, what did my dad call it?" she asked.

"Oh, it was Cherub Ranch when your dad owned it," Hamilton said.

"Could I just call it that?" Rhian said.

"Of course. Rhian, you are now the owner of Cherub Ranch!" Hamilton smiled. "Now, I must be on my way. See you around," he waved and then walked away.

Rhian was alone, finally. On her new ranch. Cherub Ranch. She had no idea what to do. She said that she was going to go cook, so that would probably be the best thing to do. She walked to the house, and opened the door.

The house was small. There was a small bed, with a bedside table, a bookshelf with a few books, a toolbox, a small wardrobe, and a small kitchenette with some utensils on the counter. There was a refridgerator in the kitchenette. The house was plain, with a brown floor, and beige walls. The furniture was just plain wood, and the bed was as well, with a white matress, pillows, and dressings. She would probably buy some different furniture when she got the money.

She walked over to the kitchen and then got some ingredients out of the fridge, and began to make an omelette. After she was done with that, she sat down on the bed, and began to eat. She needed to buy a TV and a table as well. She would have to save up to do that. One of the first things that she needed to do was get her crops planted, and then save up for some animals, and maybe some tree sapplings since that would probably make some money. She would work on all of this.

She finished her food, and then washed the plate, before she opened the toolbox. There was a hammer, an axe, a sickle, a hoe. a watering can, a fishing rod, and four bags of spring seed mix. She sighed. "I guess it's time to get to work," she mumbled. She grabbed the hoe, watering can, seeds, and axe. She clipped the hoe and the axe to her rucksack, and then proceeded to go outside. The tools were heavy, and it put major pressure on her back. "Ow," she mumbled.

She walked outside, to the crop field, which was big. She wasn't going to be able to clear the whole field out today. It was already getting late. She was just going to clear out the parts that she would need. She examined the field, and determined how much space she needed, before she sat the hoe, watering can, and seeds on the ground. There were three small trees that would have to be chopped. She would make them into lumber. She glanced down at the axe, and then sighed. It was heavy. She was going to get tired fast. She walked over to one of the trees, and took a swing. She hit the tree, and stumbled. She then pulled the axe away, and groaned. This was harder than she thought it would be. She swung again, this time not stumbling as much. She swung three more times, and the tree began to fall. She moved and let it fall, and then began to chop more, until everything, including the stump was made into nice pieces that she was pretty sure would work good for lumber. She wiped sweat from her forehead, and smiled. She had did it. Her arms ached really bad though, and she knew that wouldn't be able to chop down another tree today. She put the axe down and picked up all the pieces, and took them behind the house to the lumber shed. She was tired already, and it made her feel weak. She shook her head. "This is not going to be an easy life," she mumbled.

She walked back to the crop fields, and picked up all of her tools, and then entered the house once again. She put all the tools away, and then sat down on the bed, and then slowly laid down. She was tired, really tired. She sun had just set and she knew it was early, but she was so tired. In a matter of seconds, she drifted off into sleep.


	3. Just Making It

_Once again, I do not own Harvest Moon or any of it's plots. I just own the game for my Wii, that is all. Oh, and I am using the Harvest Moon time system, as in four seasons, with thirty days. Oh, and I think this chapter is kind of short, sorry._

.:::Chapter Three: Just Making It:::.

_Two Weeks Later: Spring Day 15, Sunday_

Rhian opened her eyes and then rolled over. It was morning, once again. She did not feel like getting up and getting to work, but she had to, as she had to every day. She had been on Waffle Island for about two weeks now, and she wasn't enjoying it, not really. She had made no really close friends, though she did talk to Renee and Maya sometimes. She had got all of her crops planted, and had even harvested them once. Now she had more money, which was good, but she was tired, and lonely. Maybe Gill was right. Maybe she wasn't going to make it. She was making at the time, but barely.

She sighed, and rolled her eyes before she pushed herself out of bed, and then stretched. Her back was achy, but she was okay. She walked over to the refridgerator, and grabbed a couple of eggs out. She cracked them open, and dropped them over in the frying pan, and began to cook.

Over the last two weeks, she had made a lot of improvements to Cherub Ranch. Most of the grass in the pasture had been made into fodder for the barn animals, and most of the weeds, trees, and rocks were gone from the fields. She had some animals now. Renee had gave her an adult female cow as a gift, who's name was now Moodie. Renee had also gave her a duck egg and a chicken egg to place in the incubator that was in the coop, and she now had a female chicken and a female duck, named Arya, and Gammie. She'd also purchased a male chicken herself, who's name was Morry. She'd purchased a goat, whose name was Nan. She'd also taken in a small stray dog, who was still a puppy, and who was orange and white with floppy ears, and who was a male named Nim. That was all the animals she had, but she was currently saving up for a male duck, a horse, and a sheep.

Rhian was now done cooking, and she sat down on her bed, and began to eat scrambled eggs. She was also saving up for a double bed, and a table. She currently had 6000g with her, and she would have more by the end of the week, when she shipped off her animal products. She shipped her eggs, and milk off once a week.

Rhian finished eating, and washed it down with some strawberry milk that she'd made herself, and then washed her plate and cup and put them away. It was now 6:30am and it was time to get dressed, and get to work. She slipped into black leather shorts, a white tank top, and a dark red shirt, and then put her boots on, and threw her rucksack over her shoulder, and then left the house.

She first walked over to the crop field, and pulled some weeds that had grew overnight. She then watered the crops. After that, she walked over to the chicken coop, and fed the poultry and got the eggs. She smiled at Arya, who clucked and then jumped up at her. Arya was the friendliest of the poultry. Gammie was nice, but she didn't come up to people or anything. Morry had attacked her a few times, but he had his moments where he'd let Rhian pet him. Rhian crouched down, and petted Arya, and said, "Are you doing okay today?" The hen tilted her head, as if trying to comprehend her owner. Rhian chuckled, and then stood up. It was time to go feed the barn animals.

Rhian walked outside, and jumped when she heard a dog barking. She looked towards the house to see Nim staring at her through the window. Rhian laughed, and heard the dog yip again. She walked over to the house, and opened the door, and the dog ran out. "I forgot to let you out, didn't I?" Rhian grinned, and crouched. The puppy jumped into her arms, and licked her in the face. Rhian giggled. Nim jumped out of her arms, and then proceeded to investigate the land, as he did often. Rhian thought back for a minute, and remembered seeing food still in Nim's bowl, and then walked over to the barn, and entered.

The first thing she heard was a loud "Moo!!!" followed by Nan's, "Mehh!!!" Rhian sighed, and went over to the fodder ben, and pulled out two stacks of fodder, placing one in each of the animal's bowls. They both began to eat. Rhian pulled her milker out of her rucksack, and milked both of the animals. She sat the containers of milk on the ground, while she proceeded to brush both of the animals. After that, she smiled, satisfyed, and then took the milk to the storage room. She stored the eggs and milk, and then left the room.

Now it was time to go fishing, which was something that she hadn't did in awhile. She pulled out her fishing pole, and followed the path from her farm all the way down to Cream Beach. She cast her line, and began to wait.

----

It was about 6:00pm and the sun was starting to set when Rhian decided that she was getting too tired to fish, and that it was time to head home. She was about to reel in when she got another bite. The bite was a big fish, by the feel of it, because Rhian had a lot of trouble reeling it in. She pulled, and nearly got jerked into the water, but eventually managed to reel the fish in. It was an oversized Eel. Rhian put this fish in the container that was beside her, which was filled with water, and some other fish. She wiped sweat from her forehead, and then swayed.

"Erk, I don't feel so well," she mumbled under her breath. She felt really sick, and her head was starting to spin. "Maybe I used to much energy?" she asked herself. Now that she actually payed attention to it, she realized that her arms, shoulders, and back were really sore. She had taken a break and ate, once, and she'd planned to eat again when she got home, so it wasn't hunger that was making her sick. Maybe she was so determined to make it, and show everyone that she would make it, that she didn't pay attention to how much energy she was using. That might be it. She didn't really know.

"Oh, well. I think I can make it home," she mumbled. She grabbed the handle on the container of fish and began to walk back to her house. She had made it to the Maple Lake District, when she felt the same wave a dizziness again. This time it was worse. "Oww...." she sat the container of fish down, and then sat down, just off the path, under a tree. She sat for a few minutes, and then got up. She took a few steps, and was about to grab the container, when her head spun, and everything became blurry. "Ugh..." she groaned, before everything went black.

----

Rhian woke up staring at the white ceiling of the Merigue Clinic. "Ow..." her head was pounding.

"She's awake, Jin," Rhian heard Gill's voice, and she arched a brow. Why the heck was Gill in the clinic with her? Why the heck was she in the clinic in the first place?

She looked around, and saw Gill sitting in a chair, near the wall, and she saw Jin walking towards her. "What- what happened?" She asked Jin. She then looked at Gill. "And why are _you _here?" She asked, in a bitter tone.

"You shouldn't be so mad at me. You passed out in the middle of the road. I was on my way home from the church, and I happened to find you, and I took you to the clinic," Gill seemed triumphant, and he had so much arrogance in his voice, that Rhian clinched her teeth.

"It's true. You passed out from fatigue, and Gill took you here... You really need to stop being so careless, you know," Jin said, sitting down in the chair right next to the bed.

Rhian sat up. "I passed out? That's not good," she mumbled. "Where are my fish? I had fish with me didn't I?" she looked around.

"They're probably where you left them. I couldn't carry the fish and you," Gill said.

"But that was my work for the day... I need those fish to ship them," Rhian groaned. She was about to get off the bed, when Jin shook his head.

"Rhian, you need to go straight home, and rest. Please try to take better care of yourself," he said.

"I know. I know..." Rhian hated doctors. It was always the same thing over and over again.

"You know, you're trying way too hard?" Gill said, smirking.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Rhian snapped.

"You work nonstop. You rarely socialize with people... You're not going to make it like that, you know," Gill continued to smirk.

Rhian snorted. "I'm just fine, I have you know," she said.

"You don't look fine to me. You're sitting in the clinic with a color drained face, and a big bruise on your forehead... You're overdoing it, and it's pointless," Gill said.

Rhian frowned and touched her forehead. It was swollen and sore. "So? I've got a lot done with Cherub Ranch. Soon, I'm going to even have some things remodeled, as quick as a get a couple of more animals," Rhian was not going to lose this argument.

"Hmph. And how many friends do you have? And how happy are you on a scale from one to ten?" Gill asked.

Rhian frowned. Tears of frustration filled her dark eyes, and she stood up, and glared at Gill through tear filled eyes. "Listen, all you are is a little jerk who thinks he's all that because he's the mayor's son!!! I demand that you stop hastling me, and just leave me alone!!!" her voice was high pitched and cracking.

Gill frowned. He opened his mouth to say something, but Rhian wasn't going to hear it. She turned on her heel, and left the clinic.

She inhaled deeply when she was outside, and began the walk home. Hopefully her fish were still in the Maple Lake District. She didn't care either way though. She just wanted to get away from Gill. Sure, he'd helped her by taking her to the clinic, but he was still an arrogant jerk.

Before she even got out of Waffle Town, she heard someone running behind her. She stopped, and growled at whose voice she heard.

"Hey, you left your rucksack at the clinic," Gill said, stopping next to her.

Rhian turned and grabbed the rucksack from him, and put it on her shoulder.

"It's heavy... You carry bricks in it or something?" He asked, smiling a half-smile.

"So you're being nice now:" Rhian mumbled, wiping tears from her face.

"Didn't mean to make you cry. I guess I'm trying to help but just bothering you," Gill frowned.

Rhian rolled her eyes. "You're not trying to help, you're just making my life miserable," she said flatly.

"I'm really not... I guess I didn't see you making in and don't want to admit that I'm wrong."

Rhian grunted. "I'm not making it. I'm not happy. And there are days that I don't even want to get out of bed," she mumbled. She then glared at him, tears filling her eyes again. "There, you should be happy that you won. I can't go home now, my mom won't let me. I'm here now, and I'll eventually make it," she sighed.

"I didn't want to win that argument, not really. I'm not glad that you're not making it on the island," Gill sighed. "You're right though, you'll get used to it," he said.

Rhian didn't really know what to say. Gill's sudden change in attitude was confusing. He was being nice, kind of, and it made Rhian feel a little bit better. "Thanks, for taking me to the clinic, and thanks for bringing me my rucksack," she mumbled.

Gill smiled. "You're welcome. I'll see you around," he waved, and then walked off.

Rhian sighed, and began her walk back home. Her fish were there, but they'd been hidden behind the tree that she had been sitting under. There was a note attached. She grabbed it, and read it.

_"I hid the fish for you so that no one else would find them, and take them. I figured it would make you really mad if you lost them." -Gill_

Rhian smiled. Gill wasn't as mean as she thought he was. He was just weird, or something. She tucked the note into her rucksack, and then grabbed the fish. She carried them back to her farm, where she stored them in the storage house.

She walked into her house, threw the note from Gill away, and then laid down on her bed. Nim jumped up beside her, and curled up. She then fell asleep instantly.


	4. The Cooking Contest

_**A/N:**__ I Do not own Harvest Moon's ideas, plots or anything else... Okay, I changed the summary if you didn't realize this. I don't really know who I'm going to make Rhian go out with... I changed the rating to T to be safe in later chapters. Also, I realized that there were a couple of spelling errors in chapter three. There might've been in the other chapters as well, and I might not have caught it. I don't know. Anyway, hastling=hasseling. I also realized one other thing, that was a big mistake... I used one character's Japanese name... Anise=Anissa. I'm not going back and changing it on the fourth chapter in the story, so I just needed to state that. If I've made any other mistakes, you can review the story, and point it out, and then I'll point it out in the Author's note of the next chapter. I make mistakes when writing because I use WordPad, and it sucks. Sorry, people. _

.:::Chapter Four: The Cooking Contest:::.

It was 8:30am and Rhian was now done with her morning routine, and she'd ate breakfast. She thought about going out to fish, but she was still tired from passing out. She stood in the middle of her house, thinking about what she should do. Her eyes went to her kitchen, and for some reason, Chase crossed her mind. She hadn't spoken to Chase for awhile, but she was remembering what Maya said about the cooking contest. It would be a great way to get to know Chase, and possibly make a friend. She just had to cook something that competed with his cooking. That shouldn't be so hard, should it. She walked over to her kitchen and opened the fridge, and thought. She eventually decided that it would be good to make a cake. Back where she was from, all of her friends and family loved the cakes that she made, and with fresher ingredients, she was sure that her cake would be better than any dessert that Chase could ever cook.

She started cooking, deciding on making an orange cake, with some of the oranges she had bought from Souffle Farm. She also decided to use cream cheese icing, which hopefully she remembered how to successfully make. She began to cook, and by 10am, she had a beautifully made orange cake wrapped up, and ready to take to Chase at the Sundae Inn. She placed the cake in her rucksack, and left the ranch.

The walk to Sundae Inn wasn't a long walk, and she took the Maple Lake route so that she could pass by Chase's house, and make sure he wasn't home. He wasn't home, of course, which was good. Rhian walked into Sundae Inn, and was greeted by a cheerful Maya.

"Hi! How are you today Rhian?" She asked.

"Oh, I need to talk to Chase," Rhian smiled.

Chase was in the kitchen, and stopped what he was doing when he heard his name. After a few seconds, he turned around, and arched a brow. "What do you need, Rhian?" he asked, wiping his hands on his apron.

Rhian took the cake out of her rucksack, and walked over to the kitchen. "I want you to try this, and tell me what you think," she said, unwrapping the cake and sitting it down on the counter. "After all, you are one of the greatest cooks around," she smiled. She wasn't lying. She'd tried Chase's cooking a couple of times, and he was a great cook. But she wasn't commenting on his cooking to make him feel good about himself. She was commenting on his cooking to make his arrogance kick in.

Chase smirked, and then nodded. "Okay," he said. He went over to the cabinets and got a knife and fork, and cut a piece of the cake off. He tried it and then smiled. "It's really good. You needed to go a little bit lighter on the sugar though," he said.

"Oh?" Rhian tilted her head. "If your not busy, could you make something like this and let me try it, to see what you mean?" she asked. She heard Maya giggle, and then the door to the inn opening and shutting. She glanced behind her to see that Maya had left.

Chase smirked. "Of course I can," he said.

Rhian nodded, and then walked into the kitchen and stood near him. It didn't take him long to make the same thing she had made. He cut a piece and gave it to Rhian, who took a few bites. It was better than her cake. A lot better.

She frowned. "Yours is a lot better," she mumbled.

Chase grinned. "Of course it is. Do you want to try to make a different item to try to beat me in a contest?" he asked. "I know that's what you're trying to do. You're trying to outcook me, right?" he asked.

Rhian's eyes widened. _He catches on fast. Maya didn't warn me about that. I wonder if she told him that I was planning to attempt a contest with him? _She realized that she'd spaced out, and then shook her head, and looked at her feet. "No... Not trying to outcook you or anything. I just thought this would be fun," she said.

"Oh, okay then," Rhian could tell that Chase didn't believe her at all. "Do you know how to cook Herb Fish?" he didn't seem to mind though.

Rhian looked up. "I think so," she answered.

"Well, let's both get to work on an Herb Fish dish, and see whose is the best," he smiled.

Rhian got to work, and she noticed that Chase did as well. It wasn't long until they both had a dish prepared. Chase turned to her, and then said, "I think we should have someone else judge this." He then turned to Yolanda, who had came into the inn sometime while they were cooking, and who was currently talking to Colleen. "Yolanda, can you come over here?" Chase asked.

Yolanda turned and smiled. "What is it, Chase?" she asked, as she walked in the direction of the kitchen.

"Can you try each of these dishes and tell us which one you think is better cooked?" Chase asked.

"Of course!" Yolanda nodded, and tried both of the dishes. She smiled at both of them, and then picked up Rhian's dish. "This one is better seasoned, and overall well cooked," she said.

Chase's eyes narrowed.

Rhian smiled. "Do you really think so?" she asked.

"I don't lie. Are you the one who made this?" Yolanda asked.

Rhian bowed her head. "Uh, yes, ma'am," she said.

Yolanda turned to Chase. "It looks like you have some competition when it comes to cooking, now," she said.

Chase growled. "How is hers better than mine?" he asked.

"I've already said this. She seasoned hers a lot better. You went to heavy on the spice, my dear," Yolanda said.

Chase sighed and turned to Rhian. "Well, how about we each try to make an omelette then? You can make any flavor you want," he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Okay, then. How about we make this the tie breaker? You make better cake, and I make better Herb Fish, but whoever can make the better omelette wins this contest?" Rhian asked.

"Okay," Chase nodded, and they both began to cook again.

"Do I need to judge this, as well?" Yolanda asked.

"Yes, if you don't mind," Chase said, not even bothering to look at Yolanda.

"Okay, I will sit here and wait," she said, taking a seat at one of the tables.

_I've got to win this, otherwise Chase is probably going to look down on me, and will forever gloat about this, _Rhian thought, as she began to make a tomato omelette, which was heavily peppered.

After they were done, both Chase and Rhian put the dishes on the table that Yolanda was sitting at. Yolanda tried both of the omelettes, and then seemed to go into deep thought. Eventually, she smiled, and said, "I think they are equally good to be honest. Both are about as perfect as it gets."

Rhian and Chase sighed in unison.

"One's got to be better," Chase said.

Yolanda shook her head. "There can always be ties in competitions," she said.

Chase turned to Rhian, his violet eyes narrowed. "Listen, you're not going to outcook me... You can't come to this island, and expect to build yourself up by making others look bad," he mumbled.

Rhian's eyes widened and she bit her lip. "I'm not trying to do that! I thought this would be fun, and a chance to make a friend," she said. Was she really hearing this correctly? Chase was being hostile over a contest.

"I'm not your friend, nor will I ever be," he said, before he turned his back, and stormed out of the inn.

Rhian looked at her shoes, and said nothing.

She heard Yolanda get up, and felt a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Rhian. He'll get over it. He just doesn't like the idea of someone his age being in town with his cooking skills," she said.

"I really only did this so I could make a friend... I didn't mean to make him mad," Rhian looked up, and blinked before she could start crying.

"I know, dear. He'll be over it in no time. He will be your friend, if you try. Chase isn't one who likes to show his emotions, and it'll take time," Yolanda said.

"To be honest, after that little show, I don't care if we're friends or not," Rhian sighed. "I'm going to go home, okay?" she said, glancing at Yolanda.

"Okay, dear. Please come back. My granddaughter loves your company," Yolanda said.

"I'll be back. Me and Maya still have a cooking day planned one day," Rhian smiled, walking out of the inn.

"Once again, why are all of the guys so mean?" Rhian mumbled, once she was out of the inn.

"What? Not all guys are mean!" She heard Luke's voice, and jumped. She hadn't expected anyone to be around.

"Oh, hi... Luke," she turned and bowed her head. "Sorry... I was talking about Chase and Gill," she said.

Luke grinned. "What did they do to you?" he asked.

"They're jerkoffs. I don't feel like explaining it," Rhian said. She didn't want to talk to Luke. His energy, and cheerfulness wasn't something that she felt like being around. He was always so happy, and it was almost fake.

"Oh... Some of the people on this island just don't like to show their true emotions. I bet they both like you, and just don't want to show it," Luke said.

Rhian rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt that. I think that they both wish that I didn't come to this island," she said.

"Nonsense... I don't think so. Just take time with the two. Then you'll see," Luke said.

"I don't want to. I don't even care if they don't like me," Rhian said.

Luke's eyes widened, and he waved. "Hey, Gill!" he said.

Rhian's eyes widened as well, and she turned to see that Gill was standing not that far away from them. Had he heard their conversation? "Hey," Rhian said. She knew that she looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Hello, to both of you..." Gill mumbled. "And Rhian, I thought I explained to you last night what was up with my mood," he sighed.

"You were just saying that to cheer me up, so you wouldn't feel bad for making me cry," Rhian said coldly. Something that everyone would find out about her in time, was that she was unforgiving.

It was Gill's turn to look as if he was caught in the headlights. "How dare you! I really was trying to be nice, because I see that you're not doing so good on this island...!"

"Uhm... There's no sense in arguing, you two," Luke broke into the conversation.

Rhian glanced at Luke. "I think you're right... I'm going back to my ranch... I actually need alone time right now," she said.

"Okay," Luke nodded. He then turned and jogged off in the direction of the Maple Lake District.

Rhian turned to Gill, and said, "Later," she mumbled, and she too, turned and walked off.

-----

Back at the ranch, Rhian walked into the pasture where the animals were and sat on the fence.

Moodie walked up to her, and she petted the cow. Rhian was calming down now, and she was getting to where she was fine again. She didn't mind being alone right now. She would probably go to the Sundae Inn soon, and have a cooking day with Maya, and that would bring her mood up, as long as she didn't run into Chase or Gill.

Rhian jumped when she heard the familiar bark of Nim. The dog was behind her, staring up at her. She jumped off of the fence, and then smiled down at the dog. "Do you want to go on a walk?" she asked.

The dog barked, and then jumped up at her.

Rhian smiled, and then hopped over the fence of the pasture. "Let's go for a walk," she said. She could use a walk as well, to calm her mind. She kind of felt bad for being mean to Gill. He had tried to be nice last night, but she still thought that he was only doing that because he felt bad for making her cry. She would forget about all of that while she was walking.

She began to walk the path down to Cream Beach. When the water came into sight, she thought about turning around and getting her fishing pole, and going fishing, but she was scared of passing out again, so she would wait for tomorrow to do that. She walked onto the beach, and sat down though. Nim laid down beside her. Rhian pulled her knees up to her chest, and rested her chin on her knees, and stared into the water.

"Sulking, huh?" Rhian's eyes widened at the sound of Chase's voice.

"Nope," Rhian answered, with no emotion in her voice.

She heard footsteps behind her and then saw Chase crouch next to her. "Yolanda told me that I hurt your feelings," Chase said.

"Maybe," Rhian still showed no emotion.

"Listen... I was mean. Sorry. You're a good cook, and I've got competition now, but I shouldn't be mad about that," Chase said.

"Okay, then."

"So, you're not happy that I came to apologize?" Chase seemed agitated now.

"Doesn't really matter either way... Doesn't change the fact that you hate me," Rhian said. She still showed no emotion.

Chase exhaled sharply, and rolled his eyes. "You need to glad that I even hunted you down to apologize, but it's obvious that you're not. You remind me of an immature little brat."

"Really? That's nice to know... You remind me of a lot of things."

"What is wrong with you?! At one point, you're crying because I said some cross words, and now you act like a robot?"

"Only acting like you... You don't know how to show emotions either... I don't feel like getting myself worked over one guy."

Chase grunted. It was obvious that he didn't know what to say. "I said I was sorry, and if you can't accept my apology, then you can just stay mad at me. I really don't care what you do," he said, before standing up, and walking off.

Rhian sighed. He didn't like the emotionless side of her. She didn't like how he showed no emotion other than bitterness. "I guess that means we hate eachother," she mumbled, under her breath, though she knew the words weren't true. She liked Chase, still, and she had no idea why.

After a few minutes more of staring into the water, Rhian stood up. Nim glanced up at her. She began to walk back home, making sure that Nim was following her. She felt the tears finally swell up in her eyes, and she groaned. It was her fault that Gill and Chase despised her, and she knew it. If she would be nice to both of them, and accept their apologies, then they might actually like her. But she didn't want to do just that. Especially since they were both only apologizing because they felt bad, not because they cared.

Rhian entered her house, and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only 5pm. She would sit down and eat, and then she would try to find something else to do.


	5. Gill's POV

_**A/N: **__Okay, so I've made it to Ch.5... Anyway, this chapter is going to be in Gill's point of view, kind of... Not exactly in his point of view, because it's not going to be in first person. But it's going to portray some of his thoughts and things, and review a few situations in his point of view. I might not get his personality exactly right, but I will try. There will also be a chapter later on that will be in Chase's point of view. The story will mostly be in Rhian's point of view though, because she's my original character, and I'm better at portraying her thoughts. Still not sure who she's going to end up falling for. Both of the guys like her though. By the way, I don't own Harvest Moon.. Oh, and I gave this chapter a crappy title, and this chapter might be shorter than the others. Sorry if it is._

.:::Chapter Five: Gill's POV:::.

_Spring Day 23nd, Monday_

"Good morning, Gill," Ellie said, as Gill walked into the Town Hall.

Gill just sighed, and nodded towards Ellie, before taking his seat behind the counter, and pulling out a book.

"What's wrong, Gill? Something has been troubling you for awhile, and you seem a lot quieter than you normally are," Ellie had a worried expression on her face.

Gill sighed again. There was something bothering him, but he had no intentions on telling anyone. The thing that was bothering him was a girl. The new girl on the island. Rhian. He had been mean to her when she first arrived, because he didn't think that she would make it very long on the island. He had also been wrong. It had been almost a whole season, and Rhian hadn't left yet, and she was doing pretty good. She had friends now, even. She hated him though, even though he had apologized to her one time, about a week ago. She didn't accept his apology. She'd snapped at him again the next day, and everytime they crossed paths, she either said something harsh, or completely ignored him. It hurt bad. And this kind of hurt was something that Gill was not the least bit familiar with. He wanted to know what to do about it, but he was afraid to admit that he was actually starting to like her. No, he wasn't just starting to like her. He did like her. A lot.

Gill set the book down on the counter, and frowned. "I really don't want to talk about it," he mumbled.

"Oh, come on, Gill. I won't tell anyone. You usually talk to me when you have problems," Ellie said, turning to face him.

Gill shook his head. "This is something that I prefer that no one even know," he mumbled.

Ellie sighed. "I'm not going to give up until you tell me," she said.

Gill rolled his eyes. He knew that she meant what she said. Maybe it would help to get it off of his chest anyway. He turned to face her. "You, you know the new rancher, right?" he said.

Ellie tilted her head. "Rhian? That's her name, right? I don't know her well, but I know her. She never comes in here. I saw her at the Flea Market yesterday, though," Ellie said.

"She was at the Flea Market?" Gill asked. Now, he wished that he had went. He could've saw her and maybe tried to talk to her again.

"Yeah. She was selling some really nice looking fish, and some dishes, as well as some inspected things from the mine. She bought some things as well. She was being really friendly, and her, Maya, and Anise hung around each other all day. She talked to Luke a couple of times, when he came around, but she didn't seem too enthused about having to talk to him," Ellie smiled. "She's friendly, though."

Gill's eyes narrowed. So she was nice to everyone in the town other than him? "Uhm... I wish I would've went," he mumbled.

"Yeah? There was really good items there," Ellie commented.

She wasn't catching on! He would just have to come right out and say it. "I... I like Rhian... She hates me, though," he spoke quickly, and felt his cheeks lighting up.

Ellie's eyes widened. "So Gill finally likes someone? Why does she not like you?"

"Because... I was kind of mean to her when she first arrived here. She holds grudges apparently, and she won't forgive me," Gill frowned.

"Oh... I'm sorry. Try to talk to her more. Be really friendly. I'm sure she'll forgive you in time," Ellie said.

"How can I talk to her when she ignores me?" Gill snapped.

"Go to her ranch. She can't ignore you if you're on her land. I'm sure she won't leave her own property to avoid you... And if she asks you to leave, then just tell her that you're not leaving until she accepts your apology," Ellie said.

Gill considered what she was saying. That would work. But what if they ended getting into another argument? Then she'd hate him even more... He would have to make sure not to let his temper get to him. He could do that, couldn't he?

"I... I think that might work," he mumbled. "I'll do that after I get off of work," he said.

"If you want, I can do your job, long enough for you to go to her ranch and then come back. It's not like we get that many people coming in the Town Hall every day, and you don't have that much paperwork to do, right?" Ellie asked.

"I really don't think I do... Would you do that for me?" Gill asked.

"Sure... Just don't stay gone all day," Ellie smiled.

Gill stood up and nodded. "I am forever grateful," he mumbled, before leaving the Town Hall.

He walked all the way to Cherub Ranch within an hour, and it was now 9:30am. Rhian wasn't outside, and when the cow saw him, it let out a loud cry. Gill stiffened, and then inhaled sharply when the door of Rhian's house opened and she walked out.

"Gill? What are you doing here?" she asked, walking over to him.

_Breath!!!_ His mind commanded, and he exhaled slowly. "I came to try and apologize for being a jerk, again," he said.

"Really? Why? Did Hamilton or Ellie scold you for making me hate you?" Rhian asked.

Gill stepped back, and shook his head. "Please... Don't start arguing. I'm sincerely sorry for being mean to you... Please accept my apology?" he asked. He could feel his cheeks lighting up... Why was he doing this? The girl didn't like him, and this was really out of character for him.

Rhian put her hands on her hips, and then tilted her head. "What's up with you today, Gill?" she asked flatly.

"Um... I really don't won't you to hate me, especially when Ellie talks about how friendly you were yesterday," Gill said.

"Hmph... I usually am a friendly person, to those who are friendly towards me..." Rhian said.

"I- I am being friendly right now... And I won't be mean to you anymore, as long as I can help it. Just don't hate me?" Gill was about to break. He was about to snap and make some rude comment. He didn't like being all nice, and pleading for forgiveness.

"Okay... You're acting really weird. I guess you really do care a little bit about me... I guess I accept your apology... Just stop with the little puppy dog begging that you're doing," Rhian smiled.

That was a relief. He was forgiven, and he felt a lot better now. He sighed, and smiled. "Thank you," he bowed his head.

Rhian folded her arms across her chest, and Gill could feel her examining him. "You're crushin' on me, aren't ya, mayor boy?"

Gill's eyes widened. "Why would I like someone like you?! I just wanted you to forgive me!" He snapped.

Rhian stepped back, and glared. "I was just asking... You don't gotta go all mean on me," she snapped.

"You should have more sense than that! I guess you are just some dumb girl trying to live the farm dream!" Gill snapped back. He didn't mean to. It just happened.

Rhian growled. "You are _so _first freakin' grade! I hate it! In fact, I'm almost certain I hate you!"

Gill inhaled sharply. She said it. It was over. He was pretty sure he felt his heart stop for a minute. He couldn't say anything. He just bit down on his lip, and turned to leave. He heard Rhian walking off, and he paused. Soon after, he heard a door open and shut. She was gone now. Gill bit his lip, hard. He wasn't going to cry over a girl. That wasn't like him. He just wasn't going to care. He would mean to her, and let her continue to hate him, and she wouldn't cross his mind anymore.

He started his walk back to the Town Hall, and had to continue to bite his lip and blink to keep from crying. He wasn't the type to cry, ever, much less over some dumb girl. Who was everything he wanted. _NO!_ He wasn't going to think about her in a positive way anymore, ever. He would move on or something. That was all.

He entered the Town Hall, and Ellie stood up. "It didn't go well, did it?" She asked.

"No... I hate her. I'm not going to think about her anymore," Gill said, sitting down, and taking out a book.

"Did she not accept your apology or something?" Ellie asked.

"She did... Then she realized how I feel about her, and I snapped, and she got mad, and told me that she hated me," Gill sighed. He continued his routine of biting his lip and blinking to prevent from crying.

"Oh... Gill, you need to keep your cool. When she said she knew that you liked her, you should have admitted it to her, not denied it," Ellie said.

"I know," Gill mumbled.

"Do you want me to go talk to her?" Ellie asked.

Gill shook his head. "I will have nothing else to do with her. I want to forget her," he snapped.

Ellie was about to say something, but the door opened, and Rhian walked in. "Hello, Rhian," Ellie smiled.

Rhian nodded at Ellie, but her eyes were on Gill. "Listen... Sorry about that. I don't hate you... I don't know you. You just get on my nerves, sometimes... Heh, I made you something, to try to cheer you up," Rhian walked over, and handed in a glass of tomato juice.

Gill stared at it. "So you're apologizing now?" he said, bitterly.

"I guess. Listen, I know how you feel about me... I know why you act the way you do now... And I'm okay with that, but I'm sorry, I don't feel the same way... You never know, if I got to know you, I might though," Rhian smiled.

Gill nodded, and took her gift. "Okay... Sorry about snapping... I guess I'm not sure how to deal with my emotions sometimes," Gill mumbled.

"It's fine... I'm going now," Rhian bowed her head, and then walked out.

Gill took a sip of the juice, which tasted really good. "It's not Summer, I wonder how she got the tomatoes, for this," Gill mumbled.

Ellie seemed to ignore his comment on the juice, and instead she smiled brightly. "See, she doesn't hate you. She doesn't like you that much, but if you make an effort, she might. If you really like her, you'll make an effort, too," Ellie said.

"I don't want to... I just want to leave it the way it is. I'm scared of getting into an argument with her, again, and making her hate me," Gill said.

"Oh... Well, if that's what you really want," Ellie said.

_It's not, but I don't want her to hate me, either. Right now, she doesn't like me or hate me, which is better than her hating me. _Gill thought, but he said, "That's what I want..."

_**A/N: **__Yeah, this chapter was super short, but I had fun trying to make Gill's sensitive side. Next chapter will be back to Rhian's point of view. I'll make another chapter in Gill's point of view later... Or maybe a chapter or two will switch point of views. I don't know yet... Chase will become more main eventually, and a few other characters. Just keep reading. It's going to be filled with drama and romance, because that amuses me. _


	6. Happiness and Sickness

_**A/N: **__Chapter Six... Wow... Anyway... I don't own Harvest Moon. So, basically all the chapters cover one day. This chapter is going to cover three days. Also, after finally starting to play Tree of Tranquility again, I realized that there's twenty-eight days in a season, not thirty, and I'm going to change that, though. So, in this story, there are twenty-eight days per season. _

.:::Chapter Six: Happiness and Sickness:::.

_Spring Day 26, 6:00pm_

It was the evening now, and Rhian was getting dressed to go out. Not on a date, exactly. She, Maya, Anise, and Renee were all meeting at the Sundae Inn for a drink, and just to hang out and take a break from work. They'd planned this not long ago, and Rhian was so excited that it was actually happening. She couldn't wait to get into some clothes other than farmer clothes, and get some makeup on, and feel feminine for once, because life on a farm didn't make her feel feminine at all.

She was currently standing in front of a vanity that she had bought. She had just changed into a nice brown blouse, that was kind of lowcut and had ruffles on the chest, khaki pants, and brown high heeled, lace up sandals. She was applying makeup now. Some dark brown and sparkling beige eyeshadow, black eyeliner and mascara, and a bit of lipgloss. Her hair was well combed and had a bit of glitter in it. The farm girl look was now completely gone, and she looked liker her old self, apart from the fact that she was starting to tan from being out in the sun all the time. She stepped back and examined herself. She looked good. She'd lost a bit of weight, and toned up in her season on the farm, and she looked better than she ever had. The guys back in the city that she was from would trip if they saw her now.

She was scared of what Chase was going to say though. She hadn't talked to him much since the little argument that they had, and she knew that he would probably smart off to her or something. She was determined to keep her cool tonight though. No one was going to bring her down.

It was now 6:30pm. She needed to leave if she wanted to be at the inn by 7:15pm. She smiled at reflection, before walking out of the house, and off of the farm.

She entered the Sundae Inn to find that Maya was there, but the other two weren't. "Hey, Maya," she said, cheerfully.

Maya smiled. "Hey, Rhi, you look more like a city girl now," she said.

Rhian walked over and sat in one of the three empty chairs at the table. "Yeah, these are clothes I brought with me from home," she said.

"Okay. I'm sure Anise and Renee will be here in a minute. They have a longer ways to walk," Maya said. "We'll order drinks when they get here."

"Okay," Rhian said. She watched Chase through the corner of her eye for a minute. He was cooking, and hadn't even glanced in their direction.

Eventually, he did turn around, and he stopped for a moment. "You don't look like a farm girl now. You look like a dumb girl from the city," he said.

Rhian's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" She glared.

"Chase, you have no reason to talk to her that way," Maya snapped.

"Well... She does," Chase said.

Rhian sighed. "Listen, I'm not being brought down by you and you're messed up attitude. Whatever you have against me, you need to drop it for tonight," she said, in a firm voice.

"Hmph," Chase rolled his eyes, and started working again.

"I hate him..." Rhian mumbled under her breath.

"Sorry," Maya mumbled.

Before Rhian could think of something to say, Renee and Anise walked in, and smiled, before sitting down,

"Everyone is here now," Rhian smiled.

"Rhian, you look different," Renee commented.

"Yep, these are the clothes like I would wear back home," Rhian said.

"You don't consider Cherub Ranch your home?" Anise asked, tilting her head.

Rhian was caught of guard a bit by the question. "Not as much as I should... I dunno, I'm still struggling, a bit, and I get lonely," she said, in an honest tone.

"I'm sure you'll adjust," Anise mumbled.

"I know you will! You're a strong girl, Rhian! Besides, you gotta prove that you're not just some dumb girl so a bunch of mean guys will leave you alone!" Maya said, cheerfully.

That caused the other three to all laugh. "Thanks, Maya, and I will prove that I'm not some dumb girl, cause I'm not, and the dumb jerks who say I am are gonna be hurt when they find this out," Rhian glared at Chase, who had his back turned.

"I don't think anyone other than that arrogant Gill, and the jerk of a cook think you're a dumb girl anymore, anyways," Maya said.

Rhian twitched. "I found out why Gill says things like that, the other day," she mumbled.

"Why is that?" Maya asked.

"Gill is apparently crushing on me, and doesn't know how to show it, so he acts like a little first grader," Rhian rolled her eyes.

"Gill actually likes someone?" Renee asked, seeming to find it unbelievable.

"Apparently. I don't like him back, and I have to make an effort to be nice to him, since he's making an effort to be nice to me," Rhian sighed.

"Oh, I bet he's gonna ask you to watch the fireworks with him on the seventh of Summer," Maya giggled.

"What are you going to say?" Renee asked.

"I don't know.... I don't really want to, but.... I might just leave the Ocean Festival before the fireworks start to avoid the situation," Rhian smiled.

"You can't do that! The fireworks are the best part!" Maya said.

"It's true," Renee and Anise said in unison.

"I don't want to watch fireworks with any of the guys in town..." Rhian mumbled. She would've said something about how she liked Chase, but he was nearby, so she didn't say anything.

"What can I get you four?" Cathy walked over to their table.

"Oh, time to order... I'll have a Yam Cocktail," Maya smiled.

"I'll take a strawberry cocktail," Renee said.

"I'll have the same as Renee, but could I have a mocktail?" Anise asked.

"Of course, and you, Rhian?" Cathy turned to Rhian.

"Oh, uhm, blueberry cocktail," Rhian answered.

"Okay. One minute," Cathy took the order to Hayden and brought the drinks back.

Rhian took a sip, and then sighed. "We were on the topic of festivals... The animal festival is the twenty eighth, in the Brownie Meadows right?" she looked at Renee.

"Yes. It starts at 9:00am... Are you going to enter an animal?" Renee asked.

"I'll probably enter Moodie," Rhian said.

"Okay," Renee smiled. She opened her mouth to say something else, but she stopped.

"Erm, what?" Rhian arched a brow, and then looked up at Chase, who had walked over.

"What do you want?" Rhian sighed. She didn't feel like dealing with his crap, but apparently, she was going to have to.

"Hmph. I'm not torturing you this time. I overheard you conversation about the Ocean Festival," he said.

"It's rude to listen to other people's conversations," Anise mumbled.

"I know. I said I overheard. Anyway, I was going to ask you Rhian... It's not that I like you, but I'm willing to do you a favor and watch fireworks with you," Chase said.

Rhian arched a brow, and chewed at her lip. She could feel all of her friends staring at her, waiting for a response. "If you don't want to take me, then you don't have to," she eventually said.

"If I didn't want to, I wouldn't be asking you," Chase said.

Rhian felt herself blush. "Okay, then I guess you can... It's gonna upset Gill, though," she said.

"I know, but if you spend that time with him, it's likely you two will argue the whole time, and it'll make you upset, right?" Chase said.

"Yeah, but me and you argue and snap at each other just as much. You just give up, and Gill doesn't," Rhian said.

"Still not used to the idea that you can almost cook better than me," Chase sighed.

"Listen, I'm not going to start cooking for other people, so not many people are going to taste my cooking, which means that I'm not going to steal your title as the second best chef on the island," Rhan said.

"You have a point... I guess I need to let that go, huh?" Chase said.

"I wish you would," Rhian mumbled.

"I need to get back to the kitchen," Chase said, just as Luke and Owen walked in.

"Okay, talk to you later," Rhian said.

"Okay, bye," he said, before he walked off.

"Looks like you don't have to worry about Gill now... Do you really want to spend the night with Chase?" Maya asked.

Rhian blushed. She then leaned over, and said, "Don't you dare say a word, but I'm beyond glad that I get to spend some time with him."

"Oh..." Maya nodded, but then made a motion like she was zipping her lips.

"I won't say anything," Renee said. "I promise."

"You can trust me," Anise added.

"Ya know, I think Toby and I will go together as well. I'll ask him Monday, or if I see him at the Animal Festival," Renee blushed as she spoke.

"You and Toby would make an adorable couple," Maya commented.

"You think so?" Renee started to turn redder.

"Yeah. You both like to fish, and you both are pretty laid back. That's the perfect couple," Rhian said.

Anise nodded, though she didn't say anything.

"Well... I like him," Renee mumbled.

"I wish I had someone that I could go with. I really don't have feelings for anyone on the island though," Anise said.

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Maya sighed.

"I'm sure both of you will find a guy someday," Renee said.

"I hope so," Maya mumbled.

Rhian glanced at the clock, and found that it was now almost 8:30pm. She was starting to feel a bit tired as well, and she was sure that the other girls were as well.

Anise's eyes followed Rhian's, and she frowned. "I think I need to be getting home. It's not a short walk from here to the farm," she finished her drink and stood up.

Renee stood up as well. "I need to be going as well. See you at the Animal Festival, if I don't see you before then." she said, to Rhian. "I'll see you next time I come in town, Maya," she added, glancing at Maya.

"Okay!" Maya smiled.

"See ya," Rhian said, waving, as the two girls walked out of the Inn.

"Are you leaving, too?" Maya asked.

"Not right now. I don't think I have as far of a distance to walk," Rhian said, sipping her drink.

Cathy came and got the two empty glasses, but didn't say anything.

"Are you excited about Summer now?" Maya, asked in a low tone.

"The festivals, yes. The heat, no. The replanting crops, no," Rhian answered.

"Oh, I forgot. It's work for you at the end and the beginning of seasons," Maya said.

"I'll get used to everything, though, and I'll get settled in," she said.

The door to the Inn opened, not long after she said that, and Gill and Mayor Hamilton walked in.

"Why do you want to come here tonight as well?" Hamilton asked Gill.

"I just felt like it, father," Gill said. His eyes then went to Rhian, and he smiled. "Hey, Rhian. Hey, Maya," he said, before walking over to them. "What are you girls doing tonight? I heard Renee and Anise talking about hanging out with you two when they were leaving the inn," he said.

"Oh, just having a night out... I was going to leave soon. I need to get home, and get some sleep," Rhian said, taking a sip of her drink. The drink was starting to give her a slightly tipsy feeling, and she knew it was because this was the second time that she'd ever drank anything with alcohol in it.

"Do you need someone to walk you home? You look slightly pale," Gill tilted his head.

Great. He could tell that she was borderline buzzed. "Uhm, no. I'm fine," Rhian responding, finishing her drink. The drinks were really good, but she knew if she had another one, that she would probably be a bit too tipsy.

Maya was finished as well, and Cathy came over, and took the glasses. "Do you want more? And what can I get you, Gill?" she asked.

"Uhm, I'll take a coconut cocktail," Rhian said.

"I don't want anything," Gill said.

"I'll take another yam cocktail," Maya smiled.

"Okay, right back," Cathy said. She left and came back with the drinks.

"Thanks," Maya and Rhian said in unison.

Gill had sat down now, and arched a brow. "Are you going to get drunk before you go home?" he asked.

"No. Two drinks aren't gonna make me drunk. Just a little feel good," Rhian smirked.

"Did you drink a bit in the city?" Gill asked.

"This is the second time I've ever drunk alcoholic beverages. Last time was at a party back in the city, and it had very bad end results. They thought I had alcohol poisoning, and I ended up in the hospital," Rhian frowned.

"So you've been drunk before?" Gill asked.

"Yah, I guess I have. I got into two fights as well. Came home from the hospital the next day with a black eye, and a sick stomach... Worst experience ever," Rhian said. She was trying to make herself unappealing to him.

"What exactly is it like in the city?" Maya asked.

"Oh... There's a lot of people. Dance clubs, cars, flashing lights. It's really awesome..." Rhian said.

"Do you miss it?" Maya asked.

"I miss my friends, and just always, always being with someone," Rhian said.

"You don't like this island, do you?" Gill asked.

"If I had my choice, I'd return to the city," Rhian sighed.

"But, you have friends here!" Maya said.

"Yeah, but I see them maybe once or twice a week. Everyone is busy in this place. Back in the city, even if you worked, you usually had friends, because you made friends with the other people who worked there. Here, most of the work is family owned, and pretty much solitaire work," Rhian said.

"You can't leave!" Maya frowned.

"I'm not going to. I'm just going to keep telling myself that I'll get used to it, and I will get used to it," Rhian said.

"Okay, that's good," Maya smiled.

Rhian finished her drink, and then stood up, swaying ever so slightly. "I'm going to get back to the ranch. I got to rise early," she said.

"Are you sure that you don't need to me to walk you home?" Gill asked.

Rhian shook her head. "I'm sure, Gill," she said.

"Well, I'm going anyway," Gill stood up, and grabbed Rhian's arm as she started to sway more.

"Gill... I'm a big girl, I don't need to be walked home," Rhian whined.

"I insist," Gill said.

Rhian looked at Maya, who gave her a sympathetic look. She then looked at Chase, who was watching, and cooking. He shook her head at her, meaning that he wasn't going to get her out of another situation. "Okay... Come on," she eventually gave in, but snatched her arm away from him. They both walked out, into the warm late Spring air.

"It feels really good out here," Rhian said.

"It's a little warm," Gill mumbled. He then looked at her. "You do know that it's not good to drink a lot, right?" he asked.

"I drunk two drinks. That's not a lot. It's just a lot for me, because I haven't drunk in awhile," Rhian said. "I'm fine. To be honest, I haven't felt too good today, anyway," Rhian said. She really hadn't. It wasn't noticeable or anything, but she'd woke up feeling really tired.

"You're still working yourself too hard," Gill said, annoyance in his voice.

"Why do you think that? All I did was go down to the mines today, and forage for mushrooms to ship," Rhian said.

"What about yesterday?" Gill asked.

"Oh, I went to the mines, and then did a bit of late night fishing," Rhian answered.

"You're pushing it. Not that I should be worrying about you or anything, but I don't want you to push yourself over your limits," Gill said.

"Why does it really matter that much? As long as I'm able to walk, I should be fine," Rhian shrugged.

Gill grunted. "Hmph. You think that right now, but you'll end up passing out again soon, if you don't start being more cautious," he said.

"Okay, whatever, mayor boy," Rhian sighed.

They were almost at her house now, so she stopped and turned to Gill. "I think I'm okay alone, now," she said.

"Okay," Gill said. He acted as if he wanted to protest, but he didn't. Instead, he waved.

Rhian bowed her head. "Bye, Gill," she said.

"Bye," Gill said, and started walking back towards Waffle Town.

Rhian headed for her ranch.

It was the next day, now, and Rhian had ate breakfast, and dealt with the garden, and fed Arya and Gammie, and was now heading to the barn to check on Moodie and Nan. She was going to enter Moodie in tomorrow's Animal Festival, and she was hoping that the cow would win.

She walked into the barn, and Nan cried out, and started walking towards her. She noticed that Moodie was laying down, and didn't even look up when she walked in. She didn't even moo like she normally did.

"Hey, Nan," Rhian petted the goat, but then walked over to Moodie, and knelt next to her. "Moodie, are you okay?"

The cow's eyes were dull, and she barely looked at Rhian.

"Oh... You're sick. This is bad," Rhian frowned. She got up, and got food for both of them, hand fed Nan, and then walked over to Moodie, and crouched again. "Do you want to eat?" she asked, handing the cow some fodder.

Moodie didn't move.

"Oh, I guess I need to go talk to Renee. I'll be back, Moodie," she said.

Rhian jogged to Brownie Ranch, and walked into the building.

"Rhian, welcome. What's wrong?" Hanna asked.

"My cow is sick.. What do I need to do?" Rhian asked.

"Oh, you need to give it animal medicine," Hanna answered.

"How much does it cost?" Rhian asked.

"400g," Hanna answered.

"Give me two, please?" Rhian asked.

"Of course," Hanna took the money that Rhian had in her hand, and handed her two blue bottles.

"Give it once a day... Two should work fine. She might stay sick for a couple of days after that," Hanna said.

"Okay. Thank you... I won't be able to enter tomorrow's Animal Festival," Rhian said.

"Why is that? Don't you have a chicken, and a duck, and a goat?" Hanna asked.

"I'm probably not going to leave the barn much until Moodie gets well. I'll tell Renee on my way out," Rhian said.

"Okay. It's hope to see you next year," Hanna said.

"You will," Rhian bowed her head, and then left.

She saw Renee by the windmill, and called to her.

Renee came running. "What is it, Rhi? You look really worried..." Renee tilted her head.

"My cow is sick... Please forgive me, I won't be entering or attending the Animal Festival," Rhian bowed her head.

"Oh.. I'm sorry to hear that. It's fine! I understand completely," Renee smiled.

"Thank you," Rhian sighed. "I need to get back to the barn," she added.

"Okay, Rhi, talk to you some other time," Renee waved.

Rhian turned and jogged back to Cherub Ranch. She walked into the barn, and ran over to Moodie. "Here," she stuck the blue bottle in Moodie's mouth. The cow tried to move her head, but Rhian wouldn't let her until the bottle was empty. "Now, you'll start feeling better," Rhian patted the cow's back. "I know what you need," she said, getting up, and leaving the barn.

She entered her house, and grabbed one of her spare blankets. She walked back to the barn, Nim following her this time, and threw the blanket over Moodie. She then sat down on the floor next to the cow.

Nim gave Rhian a questioning look, before sitting down beside her.

"Moodie is sick, I'm going to stay out here with her for tonight," Rhian said. She would go back in the house later, and get a blanket and pillow for herself, and sleep on one of the three bells of hay she had in the barn. Tonight was going to be a restless night, and Rhian hoped that Moodie would be okay.

Nothing really happened throughout the day. Time passed slowly, and around 5:00pm, Rhian went and got a blanket and pillow, and set it on the bells of hay. She then took her place next to Moodie and talked to her, and petted her. Nan and Nim sat next to her the whole time, both looking slightly confused.

At 10:00pm, Rhian curled up under the blanket, on the bell of hay, and Nim curled up beside her. She didn't fall asleep untill midnight.

Rhian woke up at 5am, and went and watered the crops and tended to the chickens, before returning to to barn, skipping breakfast.

Moodie was starting to feel better, but she wasn't well. Rhian managed to get her to eat a bit of fodder, and drink a little.

Rhian sat back down beside the cow, and watched her. Yes, she was still tired, but she really didn't care too much about that at the moment. She only wanted her precious cow to get well. At eight, Rhian gave the cow the other bottle of medicine, and then the cow went to sleep. Rhian sat and watched, with Nan and Nim both sitting beside her. The two animals had caught on to what had happened and they didn't look as confused anymore.

At noon, a shadow appeared in the doorway of the barn, and Rhian looked to see Chase standing there, leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh, hi..." She stood up, and walked over to him, stumbling a few times.

"You look tired... Have you ate anything?" Chase asked.

"No... I'm worried about my cow," Rhian sighed.

"What's wrong with her?" Chase asked.

"She's sick. I'm not sure how, she just is. She was sick yesterday, and I bought medicine, but it hasn't helped too much yet," Rhian sighed.

"You look tired, and I know you have to be hungry... The reason I came by is because Renee stopped by the inn yesterday, and I heard her talking to Maya about how you were really upset over something. I couldn't hear their conversation too well," Chase said.

"Yeah... I'm upset. I don't really feel like eating," Rhian shook her head.

Chase noticed the blanket on the haystack, and arched a brow. "You slept in the barn last night?" he asked.

Rhian nodded.

"Here... I figured if you were really upset, that you might not eat, so I brought you this," he pulled out a really nice looking fish and vegitable plate. "You really need to eat. I'm sure the cow will be fine," Chase said.

Rhian took the plate. "I will later," she mumbled.

"You don't need to let yourself go down. You need to sleep in your house tonight, and you need to eat," Chase said firmly.

"I will," Rhian nodded.

"Okay. I guess I need to get going, so... I'll see you around. Take care of yourself," Chase waved.

Rhian nodded, and waved back. She then returned to her sitting spot, while Chase was leaving.

She began to eat the dish that he'd given her. It tasted really good, and made Rhian realize that she actually was really hungry. She finished the dish pretty quickly, and then sat there, still watching over her cow.

By that night, Moodie had actually stood up and ate a bit, and Rhian felt as if it would be okay if she slept in her house tonight. She stood up, and patted the cow on the back. "Please be okay, girl," she mumbled, before she left the barn, and closed the doors.

She walked to the house, Nim following her, and entered, switching the light on.

Nim walked over to his food bowl and began to eat, while Rhian changed into her pajamas, and proceeded to go to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: **__So, wer're finally on Chapter Seven. Nothing much to put here. I've decided to stop naming the chapters because the chapter titles give too much away, and because I'm lazy. Sorry, for those of you who would prefer that I name my chapters. I just don't really want to. So, I don't own Harvest Moon, and here's the next chapter. _

.:::Chapter Seven:::.

_Summer Day Four, Wednesday_

It was now Summer, and it was almost noon now. Rhian was done with her work, and she was heading to the Sundae Inn to visit Maya, and maybe even talk to Chase some. Summer on Waffle Island was hotter than the city where she'd came from. It was only just starting, but her skin was already darkening, and she found herself wanting to be inside at all times. She wished that she could dress in lighter clothes, as most people were doing, but she was a farm girl, so she couldn't. She was currently dressed in cut off jeans that went to her knees, a light mint colored shirt, and brown boots. All of her clothes had some dirt on them, and she knew that she should have changed, but she probably had more to do, so she wasn't going to.

She walked into Waffle Town and then into the Inn, and was greeted by Maya, as usual.

"Hey, Rhian, enjoying the nice Summer?" Maya grinned at her.

"It's hot," Rhian sighed.

Maya sniffed, and then frowned. "You smell like dirt," she said.

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't bother to change before I came here, because I'm probably going to have to water the crops again as hot and dry as it is," Rhian said, glancing down at herself. She then glanced at the kitchen.

Chase was not in the kitchen yet.

Maya followed her gaze, and then grinned. "Nope, Chase isn't here yet.... You miss him? Because you haven't been around to see him for about a week almost," Maya asked.

"I saw him the day of the Animal Festival," Rhian said.

"Yeah, I know. He brought you some food. That was five days ago, though. He asked about you last night," Maya smirked, and then walked over to the table and sat down.

Rhian sat down in front of her. "Really? What'd he say?"

"Oh, he just asked me where you were, and why you haven't been around," Maya shrugged.

Rhian flustered a bit. "Well, I've been busy getting my farm ready for the Summer," she said.

"I know. I told him that. He just shrugged," Maya said.

The door to the inn opened and Chase walked in. He glanced at both of them. "Hey, Rhi. Finally decide to take a break from the farm?" he asked.

Rhian felt herself fluster even more. Chase was the only guy that had the ability to make her blush this bad. "Uh... Yeah, I'm finshed with the work that takes all day, anyway. I'm working on getting the material together to upgrade my house and get some better furniture though," Rhian said.

"Oh... So you work all day cutting wood and breaking stones now?" he asked.

"Yeah, and watering crops, and cleaning animals. That's what I did today, and I smashed a boulder," Rhian now felt self conscious about her clothing.

"I can tell you've been working hard. Keep it up, and you'll go far on the island," Chase smiled at her.

Rhian continued to blush. "If you think so," she mumbled.

"You still going to the Ocean Festival? It's only a few days away," Chase asked.

Maya snickered, and both Rhian and Chase glared at her for a moment.

"Yeah. I am... I'm going to make it a point to get up early, and get to the beach by ten or eleven at the latest," Rhian said.

"Okay. I'll probably show up around twelve. I don't really care for anything other than the fireworks, though," Chase said.

Rhian nodded.

"So, are you two still going to hang out together a lot at the festival?" Maya asked.

Chase's eyes narrowed. "Well, that was kind of the whole reason for me asking her, ya ditz," he said.

Maya looked offended. "You can be such a meanie sometime, Chase. I don't see how you attract a single girl in town," Maya snapped.

"Being mean is better than being an airhead," Chase shrugged.

"Oh, you're just a jerk, you know that!" Maya snapped.

Rhian stood up. "Ya know, I think I might need to get going," she said. She didn't like to hear the two of the arguing, so she thought it would be better if she just left.

"Aw, don't go," Maya whined.

"I- I really need to get back to work," Rhian stammered, walking towards the door.

Chase grabbed her arm though, and pulled her back, causing her to gasp. "I'm done with the arguing, so you can stay," he said.

"Uhm..... Er, kay?" Rhian squeaked. He still had her arm, and she was close enough to smell that the boy smelled of oranges and cake.

Chase laughed. "What's wrong?" he let go of her arm, and she fell back into the chair.

"Nothing," Rhian said quickly.

Chase smiled, and headed back for the kitchen.

Maya smirked. "You got really nervous at his touch... He noticed it, too," she said. "I think he thought it was cute."

Rhian glared. "Listen... I'm not a very romantic person, and when I start crushing on someone, I get nervous around them, especially if they say something sweet or touch me," she explained.

"Aw... You and Chase are going to make such a cute couple... He's probably going to tease the heck out of you now that he sees how you react," Maya giggled.

Rhian blushed. "Hopefully not. The more he teases, the worse I'll get," she frowned. She then stood up, and sighed. "I really do need to go now, though," she said.

"You need to try to stop by more often," Maya nodded.

"I'll try my best to, but the first few days of each season, I doubt I'll do anything other than work. sorry. I'm sometimes a little busy," Rhian frowned. She did want more time to hang out with Maya, Renee, and Anise, but she needed to work as well. That was her first priorty.

Rhian headed for the door, but she stopped when she heard Chase's voice.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. I need to get to work," Rhian turned to see Chase walking towards her. He had a containter in his hand.

"Well, I wanted to give you these... They're herb cookies. They taste really good, and they are good for you," Chase handed her the container.

Rhian felt the color rise to her cheeks, but she took the container. "Thanks," she mumbled.

Chase grinned. "I thought you might need a snack or something that would give you an energy boost."

Rhian nodded.

Chase laughed. "Ya know, maybe you're not just some dumb girl, Rhi," he mumbled.

"Eh..." Rhian's cheeks were beat red at the time, and her throat was closing so that she wouldn't speak.

Chase grinned. "I need to get back to work. See you, Rhian," Chase waved and then walked back to the kitchen.

Rhian put the container in her rucksack and then ran out of the inn.

Once she was outside, and the color of her cheeks had returned to normal, she smiled. "He likes me..." she sighed to herself.

She then glanced up at the sky. It was still bright outside, but it was probably around three though.

She then glanced around when she noticed something behind the billboard of the plaza catch the light. "The heck?" she mumbled to herself, and then walked over to the shine. She knelt down to find a book. It was green, and it had a broken lock. The shining she had seen was the caligraphic G that was encarved on the cover.

She opened the first page and read.

_Dear Diary, Spring Day 2_

_Gill is back. I'm starting a new diary, since the old one was out of pages. Let's see what happened... Oh, a knew girl moved in yesterday. Her name's Rhian. She plans to take over her father's ranch... She really must be kind of crazy. From what I've heard from my dad, her father was a great man, who was really intelligent and knew was he was doing. I doubt this little girl will be able to replace him. I doubt she'll even last more than two weeks. She doesn't really like me, I don't think. I have a feeling that I'm not going to get along with her. I don't care though. She'll be gone before Spring is over. _

Rhian continued to flip through the diary, which was Gill's, apparently. It talked a lot about her. The arguments that they had gotten into, how she seemed to be doing and everything. It also talked about Gill's dad, and Elli. There were some things about some of the other villagers as well. None of it was really that good though. He seemed to not be close to many people in the town. the only person that he seemed to be really fond of was her. The last entry made her feel kind of sorry for Gill though.

_Dear Diary, Summer Day 2_

_It's been a whole season since I started this diary. I've read it, and I seem to write a lot about Rhian. I think she's close to stealing my heart... She didn't leave, as I've mentioned. I walked by her ranch the other day, and I saw her working. She didn't notice me. She was working and talking to her dog, who's name is Nim. I don't think she going to be leaving the island any time soon. She has friends, and she's doing really well. I just wish she would talk to me more. As I've mentioned in previous entries, she knows that I like her, and she seems to feel bad for me, which just makes things that much worse, since that tells me that she doesn't feel anything for me... I long for her to feel something for me, to at least be my friend, but unless I walk by her house, the only time I see her is if she's walking around the town, which is rare now..._

_On another note, I also think that she likes the cook at the inn. I've went into the inn before, and when Rhian's there, she's always talking to the girl that lives at the inn, but her eyes stay on the cook. He looks at her sometimes... It hurts me. I want her to look at me with the same eyes she looks at the cook with. If they start going steady, it's going to hurt... If they end up getting married, I think it might kill me on the inside. I need to do something. I need to show her my feelings... I want to but I always get nervous, and mess it up. I've never had these kind of feelings for anyone, and I'm still learning how to control them. I hope I can find away to express my feelings, before the cook ends up getting her to fall for him. It's only been a season, but I hope I'm not too late. People who come to this island usually marries within a year or a little later, so I need to hurry..._

There were no more entries in the diary. Rhian frowned. Gill really did care about her, a lot, and he was just having problems showing it. She wished that she felt something for him now, but she didn't. His childish way with feelings was horrible, and he was really high handed, and that was unattractive.

Rhian closed the book, and then sighed. "I need to take this to Gill. He probably lost it," she said under her breath.

Rhian walked through the Town Square and entered the Town Hall. Gill was in the back, pacing, and Elli had a worried expression on her face.

"Can I talk to Gill?' Rhian asked Elli.

Gill stopped moving when he heard Rhian's voice, and then walked to the front. "Hey, Rhian," he said.

"Uh, hey, I found something. I think it's yours," Rhian pulled the diary out of her rucksack, and handed it to Gill.

"I've been looking for this," Gill's eyes widened, as he took the diary. His eyes then narrowed. "You didn't read it, did you?" he asked.

"No, I didn't," Rhian lied. She didn't want to make Gill mad, but as she thought, she shrugged. "I might've took a peep inside, and read a couple of entries," she squeaked.

Gill's face lit up bright pink, and his eyes shifted from side to side. "Uh. You should respect the privacy of others!" he snapped.

Rhian backed up. "Sorry, I didn't even know that it was yours at first!" she snapped back.

Gill bit his lip. "Sorry. I should've known whoever found it would read it. I should've tried harder to find it myself," he said. "What- what all did you read?" he stammered.

Rhian frowned. "The only one's I read the whole entry of were Spring and Summer day two," she said.

Gill turned as red as an apple, and then looked at his feet. "Are- are you and, uhm, the cook anything? I- I know you like him..."

Rhian glanced out of the corner of her eye to see if Elli was still around to find that she had left. "Gill... Yeah, I like Chase, and it's obvious, I think... I don't know if he likes me back that much though," she looked down.

Gill nodded, and ran a hand through his hair. "Of course," he nodded. "Well, fine. I guess you need to going, right?"

Rhian looked up to see nothing but hurt and bitterness in Gill's eyes. She put her hand on his cheek and sighed. "Please, Gill. I'll gladly be your friend, if you can handle this, but just please, don't hate me because of the way I feel," she said.

Gill stared for a minute, but then backed up. His eyes were now tear glazed. "I don't know, Rhian. I think it's best that you just leave, and I don't care if you even come back!"

Rhian nodded. "Okay. Sorry for hurting you. I wish I didn't have to," she said, before leaving the town hall, and not waiting for another response.

She felt horrible. Gill seemed so strong and emotionless, and to see him about to cry made her feel like crying. She felt as if she was a cruel person. She bit down on her lip, and plopped down under the tree off to the side of town square. She pulled her knees to her chest, and sighed. Drama was such an evil, evil thing. She wanted to cry. She had two guys on the island, who liked her, and she liked one back, but would feel guilty forever about breaking the other one's heart. She had a feeling that the drama wasn't just shrugged off on the island, either, like it was in the city. Rhian eventually bit her lip again, and leaned her forehead onto her knees.

"Rhian, are you alright?" Rhian came back to reality at the sound of Maya' voice. She wasn't sure if she had fell asleep, but when she opened her eyes, she found that it was almost dark outside.

"Rhi?" Maya knelt next to her, and put a hand on her back.

"Hey," Rhian said softly.

"What's wrong? Why do you look all sad?" Maya asked.

"I've got a problem, and I would love to have your advice," Rhian mumbled.

"Okay," Maya said.

Rhian then proceeded to tell Maya about the diary, and the events in the town hall, and how she had feelings for Chase, and no feelings for Gill.

Maya frowned once Rhian was finished. "Aw. I feel bad for Gill, too, but the best thing to do is to just go with the person that you like, because if not, in the end, you won't be happy," Maya said.

"I don't want to hurt anyone, though," Rhian mumbled.

"I know. But there is no way around it. Someone is going to get hurt, and if you just leave Gill alone, I think he'll get over it, or if you leave Chase alone, he'll get over it eventually. And before you go hurting Chase, if you hurt him, he probably won't say anything, but he'll be hurt. He's not good with showing his emotions, but he likes you, I can tell. He looks at you a lot when he thinks you aren't looking," Maya said.

"I want to to be with Chase. That's what I want," Rhian nodded. She then took out the cookies, and opened the container. "Wanna eat these with me?" she asked.

"Sure!" Maya grinned.

For a few minutes, the girls didn't talk to each other, they just ate. Once the cookies were gone, Rhian sighed. "I think I'll manage to work things out," she mumbled.

"Yeah, you're smart, so I'm sure you will," Maya grinned.

Rhian stood up, and stretched. "I need to get going. I think I fell asleep under this tree for a little while," she smiled.

Maya stood up, and laughed. "You can be goofy sometimes, Rhian," she said.

"Yeah... I'll probably come by the inn sooner or later," Rhian said.

"Okay, I'll see you around," Maya waved.

"Tell Chase I said that I loved his cookies, and that I said he's an awesome cook," Rhian said.

"I'll do that. It'll make him really proud," Maya said.

The two waved again, and Rhian got started on her walk back home. Once she was in her house, she sat down on the sofa that she'd bought not long ago, and Nim jumped up beside her. "This has been a rough day, Nim," she mumbled.

Nim tilted his head, and then curled up into her lap.

Rhian smiled. "At least they'll never be any drama around this little ranch," she sighed.

_**Summer Day 5 Thursday**_

Rhian was awoke by a loud knocking on her door. She opened her eyes, and glanced at the clock. It was only five in the morning. She groaned. "Who comes to someone's house at this time?" she mumbled.

She got out of bed, and didn't even bother to change out of her night clothes, which consisted of a yellow tank top, and pink shorts. She unlocked the door, and hers eyes widened.

Gill was standing there, fully dressed in his work clothes, with a blank expression.

Rhian rubbed her eyes. "Gill? Why are you here?" she mumbled, folding her arms over her chest.

"Did I wake you?" Gill asked.

"Yeah," Rhian nodded.

"Sorry. Can we talk?" Gill asked.

"You wanna come in? I need something to drink, and I'm still in lazy mode," Rhian leaned against the doorframe as she spoke.

Gill nodded.

Rhian moved, and then entered the house, and walked over to the kitchen. "You want tea?" she asked.

"Sure," Gill sat down on the sofa, and watched her.

Rhian quickly fixed two cups of tea, and then sat down, and sipped hers. "What's up?" she asked. She was now more awake, and her eyes were fully opened.

"I want to apologize for being immature yesterday. I will accept to be your friend," Gill said, and then sipped his tea.

"Okay. That's good. You're not in too much pain are you?" Rhian asked.

"I'll be fine... I really do like you though... I bought you something a few days ago, and just now thought about it," he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a Garnet pendant, on a thin silver chain, and handed it to her.

"Wow. I like it, but you know, there was no since in buying it... I mean... It must have been expensive," Rhian frowned.

"Do you like it?" Gill asked.

"Yeah..." Rhian answered.

"Are you going to wear it?" Gill asked.

"Sure, when I wear something red or something that matches red," Rhian nodded.

"Okay... That's all I wanted to know. Will the cook get mad?" Gill asked.

"No, I'll tell him you gave it to me, and you understand that me and you are only friends," Rhian said. "Which is the truth," she added.

"Yeah. I bought it in hopes that it would impress you enough to make you like me," Gill sighed.

"Gill, I'm not one of the girls who care all that much about money. I care about the way someone treats me, and the way that I feel when I'm with someone," Rhian explained.

"Money's not important to you?" Gill asked.

"No," Rhian responded.

"Oh? So if I ever wanted you to like me, then I'd have to show you that I cared, and continue to do that?" Gill asked.

Rhian nodded.

Gill sighed. "That's harder than spending money..." he mumbled.

"For most people, it wouldn't be," Rhian said.

"From what I've heard, the cook doesn't show much emotion, either," Gill said.

"I know, and his name is Chase. He's just got a certain charm about him," Rhian glanced down at the ground. "You've got the rich boy attitude about you, Gill, and I know you were raised that way, but still. I cannot be attracted to that, sorry."

Gill frowned. "Oh," he said simply. He sat his empty cup down and then sighed.

Rhian glanced at the clock. It was only 5:30.

"I think I'm going to get going. I haven't slept that much, and I want to sleep some before work," Gill stood up.

"Okay, I'll see you around, Gill," Rhian smiled.

"Okay, bye," Gill waved, and left.

Rhian sighed, and then sat there, thinking. She didn't know what she was going to do with that boy.

She proceeded to get dressed, dressing in a bright pink shirt, black leather shorts that went down to the middle of her thighs, and black and pink boots. She fed Nim, who wasn't awake yet, and then headed outside.

The first thing she noticed was how clear the sky was, and the second thing she noticed was a weird tweeting. She looked around and noticed a small blue bird flying towards Caramel Falls. "Aw," she squealed, and she began to follow the bird. She wasn't sure why. She just thought it was really cute.

She chased the bird all the way to the hot springs, and then lost it. "Oh, well. It was a cute bird... I was hoping that I would get to touch it. Most of the animals around here will let me pet them," she sighed. She walked back down the cliff, and when she was back in the grassy area, she noticed a big blue feather in the grass. "Wow," she breathed, and picked it up, placing it in her rucksack. She would show Maya after she got done working.

She finished her work, and walked to the Sundae Inn.

Once she and Maya were seated, she pulled out the feather.

Maya's eyes widened. "Why are you showing me this?" she asked.

"I found it today. It came off a small blue bird that I chased. Isn't it pretty?" Rhian grinned.

"Yeah. Do you even know what this is for?" Maya asked.

"It's for something?" Rhian looked confused.

"Yeah. I thought you were proposing to me! This means you want to marry the person that you give it to. It's a marriage proposal item," Maya said.

Rhian's eyes widened, and she quickly put the feather away. "I don't want to marry you, Maya. Sorry about that. Can you tell me more though?"

Maya laughed. "Okay. The bird you saw was a Bird of Happiness. They're rare. They are said to be so blue that you can barely see them against the sky. Giving the feather to someone that you want to be with forever is a tradition. It's a proposal. You might not want to show the feather to any guy right now. You haven't been here long enough," Maya said.

"I'm not ready for marriage. But, I mean, so I just give this to a guy when I'm ready to marry them, and I think they're ready?" Rhian asked.

"Yep, basically. Then you'll go to the Town Hall and make wedding arrangments, and one of you will move in with the other. Since you own the farm and all, your guy will probably move in with you. You have to have sufficient living space as well before you get married," Maya said.

Rhian took out the blue feather, and stared at it. "Wow... That's different than where I come from," she mumbled.

"How do you propose where you come from?" Maya asked.

"An engagement ring. And a girl can't propose to a guy. It has to be the guy proposing to the girl," Rhian said.

"Oh... So I bet you think it's strange that you can propose to someone?" Maya asked.

"Yeah, but I will anyway, when I'm ready for marriage... I'm still not even exactly dating anyone, so it might be awhile," Rhian said.

Maya grinned, and was about to say something, when the door opened and Chase walked in.

"What's up with the grin, Maya?" Chase walked over, and his eyes widened at the feather. "Did someone give that to you, Rhian?" he asked.

"Oh, no! I found this," Rhian smiled, and put the feather in her rucksack.

"I told her about the tradition. She knows now," Maya said.

"Oh... So are you gonna give it to someone?" Chase asked.

"Not any time soon. I'm not ready for marriage," Rhian said.

"Oh, well that's okay," he said, and then headed back to the kitchen.

"As I was about to say. I'm glad you didn't show that to a guy. It would have been funny, especially if they would've took it," Maya grinned.

"That would've been bad," Rhian sighed.

"Definitely. Luckily, you showed me, and I caught on to the fact that you didn't know about it," Maya grinned.

"Really," Rhian nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: **__Chapter Eight. I've realized that the way that I break my paragraphs doesn't work. I use dashes and they don't show up on Fanfic. Sorry, I'll do something else from now on. I don't own Harvest Moon!_

.:::Chapter Eight:::.

**Summer Day 7 Saturday**

It was almost time for Rhian to head down to Cream Beach for the Ocean Festival. She had already ate breakfast, and she was now standing in front of her full body mirror, trying to decide what to wear.

She already had her lime green two piece bathing suit on, but she was trying to decide what to put over it. After shuffling through the clothes that she'd brought from the city, she decided on a demin miniskirt, and a light pink shirt that hung off of one shoulder. She also slipped on her pink flipflops, and then headed out the door. It felt so good to her to be able to dress how she would normally dress during the Summer. She didn't have a heavy rucksack over her shoulder, or hot clothing on.

As she was walking down the path in the Maple Lake District, she heard two people call her name, and saw Renee and Anise running towards her.

Renee was dressed in a pale yellow sundress, and her normal shoes, while Anise was dressed in a light blue shirt, and a dark blue skirt that went down to her knees, along with her normal shoes.

"Hey, you two!" Rhian grinned.

"You look like a city girl again," Renee commented, smiling.

Rhian giggled. "You two look splendid," she said.

Anise bowed her head. "Thank you," she said.

"Yeah, thanks," Renee grinned.

The three began to walk to the beach, and were greeted by Maya once they arrived. She was wearing a light green blouse, and shorts, as well as her normal shoes. The ribbons in her hair were also green.

"My friends are here!!!" Maya squealed.

Rhian laughed.

"Welcome all!!!" the group turned at the sound of Mayor Hamilton's voice. "This is the Waffle Island Ocean Festival. Everyone is welcome to swim, and have all the fun in the world, and at seven tonight, there will be a fireworks display," he grinned, and clapped his hands.

"Yay!!!" Maya squealed. The whole group clapped, and then the beach burst out in chatting, and screams, and the smell of grilled fish, and island foods.

"Hey, Sue, hey, Selena, hey Sampson," Rhian walked over to the family from Toucan Island. She'd met Selena at the Flower Festival, and they got along okay, since Rhian danced back when she was in the city.

"Oh, hey, Rhian," Sue smiled.

"Rhian! Are you doing okay?" Sampson wrapped her in a big hug.

Rhian smiled, and hugged him back before nodding at Selena.

"Are you enjoying the Ocean Festival?" Selena asked. She sounded calm, and cool.

"Yep," Rhian grinned.

"You've still got to visit Toucan Island one day! It's wonderful," Sampson said.

"I will sometime this Summer, I promise," Rhian nodded. She then waved at the family, and walked back over to her group of friends.

"I say we go swim," Maya suggested, her blue eyes shining brightly.

"Alright," Rhian nodded.

All of the girls stripped down to there bathing suits, and then joined the small crowd of people that were in the water.

The day passed by basically uneventful, until around noon, when Gill showed up.

The group of girls were on the beach, sitting on a towel, eating, when he sat down next to them. He was in his normal clothes, not swimming clothes.

"Hello, Rhian," Gill smiled.

Rhian finished the pineapple that she was eating, and smiled. "What's up, Gill?" she asked.

"Nothing, you look like a city girl again today, as I'm sure others have told you. You look wonderful," he said.

"Thanks."

"So, where's the chef at? Has he decided to not come?"

"The chef is right here, and he decided to come earlier than what he told Rhian," Chase's voice sounded pretty close.

Rhian smiled when she saw him. He was dressed in a white t-shirt, and jeans, and his chef appearance was gone.

"Oh, too bad. I was hoping he wouldn't show," Gill said flatly.

"Yes, too bad for you, then," Chase narrowed his eyes a bit.

Gill stood up, and glared at Chase, before walking off.

Chase knelt down next to Rhian, and smiled a half smile. "He didn't bother you too bad, did he?" he asked.

"No. Gill's okay. He's just... I dunno," Rhian tried to think of the word.

"A dummy that needs to learn how to hide his emotions, since you don't like him?" Maya suggested.

Rhian grinned. "Yeah, that works," she mumbled.

Chase sat down next to Rhian, and pulled one knee up to his chest.

"You want food?" Rhian asked.

"Nah, I ate before I came," Chase said.

"You should really make Rhian more cookies. She shared them with me last time, and they were really good," Maya said.

Chase didn't look amused. "I'll cook you something one day, Maya," he mumbled flatly.

"Oh, really? Yay!" Maya grinned.

Rhian and Renee laughed, while Anise chuckled. Chase still didn't seem amused.

Chase took note of all four of the girls' wet hair, and slightly wet clothing. "Have you four been swimming today?" he asked.

"Yep. It was awesome. We might get back in the water before it gets late," Rhian said.

Chase shrugged. "If that's what you want to do," he said.

"You can be really emotionless sometimes," Maya commented.

"And?" Chase seemed slightly annoyed.

"Please, you two," Rhian's eyes narrowed. She sometimes thought that Maya and Chase liked each other, but she didn't like thinking about that, because it made her extremely upset.

"Sorry, Rhian," Maya frowned.

Chase said nothing.

The day continued to pass by, and at three, Toby walked over and sat next to Renee.

"Hello, to all of you," Toby said, in his calm tone of voice.

"Heya," I smiled at him.

"Hey, Toby!" Maya grinned.

"Hello," Anise smiled.

"Hi..." Renee mumbled sheepishly.

"Do you want to watch the fireworks with me tonight?" Toby asked Renee.

Renee's face lit up. "Uhm, sure," she squeaked.

Rhian couldn't help but smiling. Renee was such a sweet girl, and her and Toby made the perfect couple.

The rest of the evening was uneventful, and Chase and Toby continued to sit with us, and even got into the water when we got back in.

At about 6:30, Maya and Anise sighed, and stood up.

"It's time for the fireworks display, almost, so I'm going to go home," Maya smiled.

"I'm returning home as well," Anise smiled.

"Okay, I'll see you around," Rhian waved.

"Bye, you two," Renee waved as well.

"Have a good night," Anise said over her shoulder.

"Yeah, seriously!" Maya grinned.

Mayor Hamilton began to speak once the two were gone. "It's time for the Fireworks Display!!!" he announced, and then clapped.

There weren't as many people on the beach now, but there were still a few people, such as Owen and Kathy, and Luke and Selena.

Rhian leaned back in the sand, and put her hands behind her head, and waited for the fireworks to began.

After a minute, Chase did the same, which surprised Rhian.

"Have you ever watched the fireworks?" Rhian asked him.

"No. This is the first time. I've only been on this island for a couple of years," Chase responded.

There was a boom, and then the sky filled with colors.

"It's beautiful!" Rhian's eyes sparkled.

"It is," Chase sighed.

Rhian glanced over to see a smile on Chase's face, and it made her smile as well. She felt really glad to be with him tonight, and she hoped that he felt the same. But before she let herself get too happy, she remembered that he'd only offered to do this to keep Gill from bothering her. She frowned, and all of a sudden, she didn't feel as happy as she once had.

"What's wrong?" Chase asked, glancing over at her.

"Nothing," Rhian answered quickly.

"You're not telling the truth," Chase said flatly.

"Okay. It's just that I'm really happy to be spending this festival with you, but I rememebered that you only offered to do this because you wanted to make sure Gill didn't bother me," Rhian explained. She didn't think Chase liked her, because he still showed very little emotion, most of the time.

"Yeah. That's the reason I offered, but I've actually enjoyed today," Chase said.

Rhian smiled. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes. I have enjoyed today," Chase said.

_***Gill's Point of View***_

Gill had spent almost all day at the Ocean Festival, trying to get Rhian's attention, but the chef, Chase, had showed up around noon, and that was it. Rhian was with Chase, and Chase didn't want him around Rhian. It was painful. It was really painful. He'd went back to his house, and tried to read to get his mind off of it, but he wanted to see the Fireworks. No, he wanted to see what Rhian and Chase were doing. He didn't want them to get too close. He didn't want his chance to be with Rhian to die. He wanted Rhian to like him, and he would do everything in his power to stop her from falling for the chef.

So, at seven, he left his house, and walked back down to Cream Beach. Sure enough, Rhian was with Chase. They were both laying next to each other, and Gill felt his jealousy rising. He wanted to be Chase. He wanted to be next to Rhian. He wasn't sure why he'd fallen for the girl so fast, but he had. He hated his feelings, of course, but he'd never felt this way before. His eyes narrowed. They weren't touching or anything, which meant that they probably weren't that close. He chewed his lip, and tried to think of something to do. He would get Rhian to notice him tonight.

He walked over to the beach, and then called Rhian's name.

Rhian sat up, and looked behind her. Her eyes narrowed, and then she sighed.

She was beautiful. That was all that Gill could think about. He proceeded to walk towards her, and then Chase sat up and turned around.

When Chase noticed Gill, his eyes narrowed, and he stood up, and walked over to Gill. "What do you want?" he asked.

Gill had no idea what to say. Chase looked as if he was slightly angered. "I just came to see Rhian," Gill said, running his hand through his hair.

"I don' think she's really too interested in seeing you, so you might want to leave," Chase folded his arms over his chest.

Gill looked past Chase to Rhian, who was sitting on the towel, with her legs curled to her chest, and her back turned to them. Gill narrowed his eyes at Chase, but he didn't want to worry Rhian, so he eventually sighed. "Okay," he said.

Chase nodded, and Gill turned and walked off.

_I'm never going to be able to talk to her, as long as the chef's around,_ Gill sighed, as he walked back to his house. He longed to be with Rhian, but she was getting to where she had nothing to do with him, hardly.

He entered his house, and then walked up to his room, and laid down on his bed. He didn't feel like staying awake any longer.

_***Rhian's Point of View***_

Gill showing up at the fireworks display made Rhian nervous. She could tell that Chase didn't like Gill, and she wasn't sure how bad Chase's temper was yet. She curled up in a ball, and stared at the sky when Chase went to talk to Gill.

Eventually, Gill left, and Chase returned.

"Ya know, I really wish he'd see that you don't like him, and just leave you alone," Chase said.

"I know. I don't think he's going to, though," Rhian mumbled. She layed back on the towel again, and Chase did the same.

"This would've been the perfect night, if it wasn't for him," Chase mumbled.

Rhian just sighed.

She jumped when she felt Chase's hand grab hers. Her face turned bright red, and she glanced over at him.

He smiled at her, and intertwined there fingers.

Rhian continued to blush, but didn't say anything else.

Once the fireworks were over, they packed up.

"Can I walk you home?" Chase asked.

"Uh, sure!" Rhian responded.

Rhian carried the towel under one arm, while the other arm hung losely at her side.

Chase walked with his arms folded across his chest. "Did you have a good time?" he asked.

Rhian smiled. "Yeah," she nodded.

"Me too," Chase sighed.

They stopped outside of Rhian's house.

"Well, see you around," Chase smiled.

"Yeah," Rhian nodded, and was about to open the door, when Chase leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Rhian blushed fiercely. "Uh," she stuttered.

Chase grinned. "Okay, bye," he waved, and walked off.

Rhian smiled, and entered her house, greeted by Nim, as usual.

"Hey, boy," she petted the dog, and walked over to her wardrobe, and changed into her pajamas.

She then plopped down on the bed, and Nim curled up beside her.

_**A/N: **__I know that the romance is moving slightly fast, but I'm going with game pace, sort of. Not as fast though, and on my game, I was married to Gill by Fall 14, so yeah. Review, please people?_


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